Louder Than Sirens: Knives and Guns and Blood
by BabyPinkPuppy
Summary: She seemed like a nice enough girl; she was pretty, she was smart, and she was incredibly violent. She had a dark, twisted sense of humor. Little what they knew about the girl was that she used to be affiliated with their most hated enemy, she lied to them and never mentioned anything about being a former assassin and a current mercenary. Or anything about her powers—not even her.
1. Prologue

**I'm kind of imaging Aaliyah as both the voice and the physical appearance of Jewel. She was such a good actress and she would've killed it in the Matrix. And I loved her music so much and her personal style and how it transitioned. She wore slightly slutty clothes but it was really in a unique and classy way. I can really see her portraying my OC. I personally loved her in the Romeo Must Die movie and she was amazing in Queen of the Dammed. It's such a shame her career was short-lived not to mention that horrible bio movie they made for her. She was heading off to do bigger and better things.**

 **There will be mentions of my favorite songs along with girl groups and others. And there will be Deadpool references since my OC is loosely inspired by him along with a few aspects of Vixen. And a couple of scenes from the movie because they're hilarious and Jewel IS a mercenary, so that's that. There will be other references of T.V. Shows, Movies, Music, and just all kinds of other stuff. I really hope you guys like this story and just so you know, it's gonna get really dark and romantic as hell. I know this is kind of sudden and don't expect any of my updates to be fast because I have to sequel and the other stories I've gotta work on.**

* * *

She sighed heavily as she stared at herself in the compact mirror, one of the only things she'd managed to carry along with her in the pocket of her baggy camouflage pants. She had her knees drew up to her chest, double-checking for her makeup for like the tenth time already. It was the same—the same for the past three weeks she's been stuck here. Her lips were a reddish brown, she had a light layer of brown mixed in with a little bit of smokey eyeshadow, and black mascara. Bags hung under her eyes and she closed the lid of the compact mirror with a sharp click, and she stuffed it back inside her pocket. She ran a hand through her black tresses, lightly curled as most of them were positioned at the left side of her head. She drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as her head made a light thump against the metal wall.

Three weeks. If she calculated correctly, it had been three weeks since she was ambushed in her hotel room, where these strange men all hovered around her and pointed their strange guns at her. She remembered painfully when she threw her hands up in the air in surrender, sliding a plate that was near her feet and kicked it at one of them. The men all had identical faces with blank and monotone expressions. They talked weird and it wasn't even proper English. It annoyed her to no end and she vaguely remembered rolling her eyes skyward. The plate made a deafening crash on one of the weird triplets face but to her surprise they hardly reacted. In fact, no blood trickled down the guy's face and instead they just shot their guns at her. She dodged and flipped until she became overwhelmed, wondering who the hell these guys were and what they wanted with her. Was this some twisted prank?

They hit her with a syringe that made her fall asleep and then the next thing she knew, she was trapped in some cell. The lights made the walls tinted purple, along with various shades of magenta and there was a window that outlined her captors, marching in the halls, ignoring the teen girl inside. She was both bewildered and intrigued when she learned the fact that these guys weren't human at all. In fact, when she had a better look of them, she noticed that they looked like robots and there was something inside of their chests. These weird, pink bubblegum aliens inside which creeped her out and amazed her at the same time. She always thought aliens only existed in those sci-fi movies like that stupid Space Heroes cartoon or the Men In Black movies. Never has she ever thought they were actually real. Weird but very interesting.

She tilted her head upward and stared up at the ceiling, wishing it could've been the starry night sky, the same shade of her eyes—which was strange considering she was an Afro-Latina mixed with Japanese ancestry from her father. The last time she got a good look of the sky was the time she had snuck out of the photoshoot and climbed up to the edge of the rooftop. The stars had shone bright, concealing the dim glow of the moon. The color was a bluish black, same shade of her eyes. She remembered she caught the sight of her reflection in the window of the glass building across from her. Her skin was a rich medium brown color, her features were soft and sharp at the same time, and her hair was dark as a raven in the snowy weather, a stark contrast against the glistening white. A lot of people told her she looked just like Aaliyah, an R&B singer who had died back in 2001. She could see the resemblance between her and the deceased star. But her eyes were blue and incredibly dark to the point where they looked darker from a distance.

Shifting a little, she pillowed her head on her crossed arms, closing her eyes as she opted to fall asleep instead. What the fuck did these aliens even want from her? She didn't have anything to offer them. She didn't even know why they were keeping her trapped here. Was it because she was a model? Was it because she was one of the youngest gymnastic athletes to win a gold medal? Not to brag, obviously...well, okay, she was completely bragging. Or was it because of her late-night or daytime job that she told nobody about? It had to be the last, because what else would a bunch of creepy aliens kidnap a gymnast or a model? That didn't make sense but it was also concerning to her. They weren't planning on raping her later, right?

She wondered if her agent was worrying about her—he was incredibly eccentric and flamboyant but he had always cared about her for some strange reason. She didn't even know how William put up with her unpredictable behavior. Did he forget about the time she actually left the building before the big fashion show for some new, upcoming designer? Or the time she hung cans of paint she bought from _Home Depot_ and triggered the alarm and buckets of paint spilled all over the crowd and all the girl's dresses. A muffled snicker left her lips as she smiled to herself at the memory. Lucy had been so livid with rage and she could still remember how the designer yelled at William for three hours top. _Guess some people can't take a joke,_ she thought to herself. Even after everything she did, William still put up with her and he always stood up for her whenever the reporters fire insults at her and repeatedly accused her of being an 'out-of-control wildcard'. But she wasn't really fazed at all by their harsh accusations. They weren't wrong but she didn't care.

Or what about her friends? Well, the few friends she had left. She wasn't exactly a people-person and she doubted any of them really missed her expect for the one friend she had known for a long time. Way too long. She was the girl who was known to be beautiful but intimidating added with her blunt remarks or her dark humored jokes. It's like people didn't want her to be brutally honest. She just didn't understand girls her age. She wondered if she should blame that on her father, since he was the one to raise her like she was a grown woman. He had always been strict but kind to her when she was a kid before he died in that car accident. And the young girl hardly knew anything about her mother, who died right after she was born. Wow...she was starting to sound like some twisted version of Little Orphan Annie. How fucking convenient.

Oh well...guess she'll just have to suck it up for now. She's already flipped off the aliens with her middle finger, though they didn't seem to quite get it and she found that hilarious for some reason. She supposed she could wait here and sleep, enjoy the dark chambers of sleep and dream about ponies and flowers and some other bullshit most teen girls her age dreamed about. Maybe she did need more friends her age. She's been hanging out with the underworld of New York for far too long. But hey, criminals and gangsters were fun to hang around. No rules, no one to tell her what to do, and she could do whatever the fuck she wanted. But for now...sleep and wait for some way to escape or wait for some dumbass hero to save her ass, as if that would ever happen.


	2. Rise of the Turtles, Part 1

**Okay, everything in this story is officially on rewrite. I realize doing this now when I have other stories is a little bit unorthodox. I'm really sorry for all the readers who have read this story, but I couldn't take it anymore and I just felt like my original version was unappealing to read. It was frustrating me for a long time and I had pages of what I wanted to really write. So this is officially the actual version of the first story I wanted to write. I think it's more interesting than the old one and I'll keep going from time-to-time whenever I'm bored. But the updates for this won't be fast since I have other stuff to write. Well, enjoy.**

* * *

April O'Neil was a curious girl; she always had been ever since she could remember. Her father said it was because she had the mind of a journalist. Her relatives always told her she should be a reporter of some kind ever since she was a little girl, telling her that she'll dish into the upcoming crime waves and the discoveries scientists have been conjuring up for centuries. She just beamed up at them with a bright, wide-eyed shine in her crystal blue eyes. She took up the Journalism Club ever since she joined high school and had Journalism class as one of her electives. She knew what she wanted to do with that certain career. She wanted to dig into the facts, not the gossip.

Which was why she and her best friend, Irma, were currently sitting at their school's library, logging onto the computers set up to the side of the large room. Irma was staying after with her because she had a research paper to turn in tomorrow for Advanced Biology, while April herself was wracking her brain for this upcoming interview she had for this large modeling organization. She had a meeting with Lucy Leal, one of Mulan's most dedicated fashion editor and former designer for Gucci, along with some of her models from her own line, All The Stars. Weird name, but what did April know about modeling agencies?

April typed into Google and researched some of the models. She noticed something in particular about each of the models—most of them were either Hispanic, African American, or mixed. That was actually kind of interesting considering American wasn't very diverse as of the moment. Maybe April could ask them about what it was like to live their in birth homes or what kind of dishes they would recommend. Not very exciting questions, but it's not April considered any of these models to be interesting. Most of them were just normal, and very beautiful, girls her age that had nothing peculiar going on in their lives.

Except one girl had caught her eye.

April paused and she stopped at the last name of the list, her brows creasing and her forehead wrinkling as she double-checked the sheet of paper. There was something oddly familiar about this girl, something that was on the tip of the red head's tongue but she couldn't quite place it. She's heard of the name before, somewhere around in the news her and her dad watched at night. Why did this name seem so familiar to her?

Shaking her head, she opted to type in the name instead of wracking her brain for the answer. Rapidly punching in the letters, April typed in 'Jewel King' and clicked 'Enter'. In an instant, an image appeared before her and she stared at the image before her mind caught up with her. The girl in the photo had rich medium dark skin, midnight black hair, and bluish black eyes. The girl shared a strong resemblance to some R&B artist April's heard of before. What was her name again? Alexandra? Ally? Aaliyah? Something like that, but April couldn't remember what. The girl looked like she could be April's age but she had some makeup on so it would be a little hard to tell. Maybe she was younger.

April's blue eyes skimmed the brief summary of the girl named Jewel King.

 _Julia Anabel King is an American artistic gymnast and model. She was a member of the Tokyo's women's national gymnastics team, dubbed the Savage Six by the media, and won the 2008 Summer Olympics in the women's national division. She made her modeling debut in Justice: Next Generation when she was of age 5._

April clicked on the recent news about the girl and her eyes widened when she read the lines along of, _'Julia Anabel King, Tokyo's, Milan's, and New York's favorite model, has disappeared on September 4th, 2018. Reports say the girl had mysteriously vanished in her hotel room, which was in complete ruins...'_ April read on more, reading past news articles about the model and said a quiet, "Huh." From April read, nobody know about Jewel's whereabouts and she read the rest of her Wikipedia page. Her heart panged with sympathy when she read that the girl had lost her parents. She was raised by her father, whom was a doctor at some hospital, before he died when she was around the age of nine-years-old. Her mother died when she was born and April could almost relate. She also lost her mother years ago when she was just a little girl.

"Why are you reading about Jewel King?" a voice spooked besides her.

April jumped slightly and turned her head to her best friend, Irma Langstein. She glanced back at the computer, "I'm looking up all the models so I could get some insights about their personal lives." she answered, propping her hand in her chin, her brows furrowed, "Maybe they know something about the kidnapping three weeks ago." she said to herself, but Irma heard anyways.

The shorter girl frowned as she diverted her attention away from the project. "What makes you think they would know anything about it?" she asked, gesturing to the screen April was staring at.

"Well, it happened at a hotel, right?"

"Yeah?" Irma answered uncertainly.

"Then maybe this Jewel King and some of the other models were staying at the same hotel." April answered, grabbing her composition notebook and scribbling the key notes she needed to know about Jewel and her case. Irma raised a brow and slowly slid her olive green eyes back to her research on the differences between the cells of a mammal and a non-mammal. The library was filled with sounds of keyboard clacking. "I don't know, April," she began, "I don't really see why you even wanna interview these models or why you would waste your time reading about how pretty and perfect they are."

April smiled in amusement at her friend as finished the last of her notes. She knew Irma had always thought of models as nothing but self-absorber girls who spend way too much time on their back. But to be truthful, April didn't really see the point of reading articles about each of these models either. She just thought how it was interesting how the modeling agency was more diverse than others. But April considered this interview as baby-steps. And besides, this Jewel King case was definitely a news article to write about.

April continued to write anything else she considered beneficial and a key importance when her phone vibrated near the computer. Setting down her papers and pencils, notebook laid on the keyboard, April quickly grabbed her phone and read the message her father just sent her. "Gotta go," she told Irma, "My dad's here and tonight's our usual ice cream run," she explained further. She gathered up her things and tucked her papers into her notebook, stuffing it inside her backpack as she slung the strap over her shoulder. She logged off the computer and pushed the chair in.

"You wanna come with?" April offered and Irma grinned, glancing up at her. She adjusted her oval-shaped classes on the bridge of her nose, but she shook her head. "Can't." she rejected, "My mom's taking me out to see my little cousins later and unfortunately for me, it's mandatory. But thanks." the gothic dressed girl chirped at the last part. April shrugged, patting her friend on the shoulder as she made her way out of the library. A small, content smile spread across her face the more and more she thought about her interview with one of the world's most famous icon. Maybe she would even get to dish in about the whole kidnapping situation. This Jewel King character seemed like someone interesting to talk about.

But for now, in the meantime, she would just enjoy some downtime with her beloved father tonight. She just had a good feeling.

* * *

Adrenaline pumped through their veins, goosebumps dotting across their scaly skin, but not of fear, no...of excitement. The exhilaration the four of them felt as just being able to run across the pavement in the sleeping city. Shouts spewed from their mouths, but they weren't angry at all. They were thrilled and elated more than anything at this moment. The four boys skidded to a stop as they stood over the edge of the rooftop, four pairs of eyes staring up at the night sky. Bright spots were dotted across the sky, an inky pool of a bluish black. The buildings towered over each other like a game of Jenga, and sirens rang in the distance.

The wind breezed against their scaly green skin, their mask tails fluttering at the motion. It was their first time out in the big city of New York. They lived in the sewers for so long and while none of them dared to admit it to each other, they dreamed of this moment ever since they were five. They weren't like everybody else, they weren't like how their father used to be. If anyone from below heard any of their jubilant shouts and cries, they would have thought them to be regular teenagers enjoying a night-out on the rooftops. They would half-right in their assumption, but however, these four brothers were no ordinary teenagers. They weren't even human.

These boys were four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

And these four ninja turtles were enjoying the celebration of their fifteenth Mutation Day. It was their first time out in the surface. They were all fifteen today and things couldn't be better. They couldn't go out like normal people could in this city; because they were different from all the other people because they didn't look like them. They were freaks in a human's eye; the people on the surface didn't know what these boys were like and they would never be given a chance. It was a sad truth they'd all come to known ever since their father, their Sensei, told them the story of their mutation when they were about four-years-old. It wasn't fair but if humans ever found out about them...there was just so much that could go wrong.

It wasn't worth it. It didn't matter, anyways. They had no place in this world; they had nothing to offer these humans other than their scientific curiosity.

"All right, guys, it's getting late. We should probably get back home." one suggested, his dark blue eyes gliding across his younger brothers. His suggestion was met with a series of disappointed 'awws' and groans, but the others eventually complied as they all trudged one step forward. Something caught one of the other turtles' eye and he paused, his reddish brown eyes locking onto the street below them, walking innocently around the corner of an antique shop. The first thing he noticed was that she had crystal blue eyes, her hair such a brilliant shade of orange. Her eyes were round as the moon, freckles were dotted across her rosy cheeks, her ensemble of clothes consisted mostly of a bright yellow shirt.

He gasped quietly, his arm pointing to the pair in a flash, "Guys, look at that!" Donatello whispered, and the rest of his brothers followed his eyesight. The girl was walking innocently on the street with whom he assumed to be her father, whose hair was a much darker shade of ginger. The father and daughter looked happy, but his eyes were fixated on the girl who couldn't be older than sixteen. His heart pounded in his ears, and he could've sworn that it must have skipped a beat when he laid his eyes on the girl, the moonlight seemingly shining down on only her. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." he whispered dreamily.

His other brothers gave him an odd look, the one with dark blue eyes and a lighter shade of blue shared a look with each other. One of his brothers looked down at the girl and her father, electric green eyes narrowed skeptically; she was indeed beautiful, but she didn't peg as someone he would like himself, he always thought he might've had a thing for girls with blonde hair and blue eyes. The four turtles had only ever seen a human girl in those pictures Splinter had of his old life with his beautiful and wife and baby girl, and some of those magazines the one with green eyes kept. Including the movies Donnie downloaded for them on his laptop.

"Isn't she the only girl you've ever seen?" Raphael asked bluntly and it was as if the tiny little hearts evaporated and the purple masked turtle snapped out of his daze in an instant. He snapped his head to his brothers and glared at them in annoyance, "My point still stands." he snapped, shaking his head. It was then that Donnie finally heard tires screech against the road below them and his brothers took notice as they watched the scene below them.

A van drove up onto the street, and several men immediately got out of the large vehicle, surrounding the girl and her father. They all wore professional business suits and dark hair, along with another man, skinner and ganglier than the rest, as they walked up to the pair below threateningly. The girl's father frowned as he tensed visibly and covered his daughter partially as a way to protect the girl. Her crystal blue eyes widened to the size of saucers and she gasped, fear dancing in her round eyes. She clutched onto her father's arm as her eyes jumped from one man to another.

Donnie watched from the edge of the rooftop and his eyes widened in alarm; what did those men want from those two? They weren't planning on kidnapping the girl and her father, right? They couldn't and Donnie just couldn't sit here and watch from the sidelines. They could severely injured the pair on the street or worse. How was Donnie just supposed to stand by? "We gotta save them!" he hissed and he was just about to leap off the building and disarm the men until an arm latched onto his shoulder. Donnie tensed and he turned his head to glance up at his eldest brother, "Splinter's instructions were very clear." Leonardo reminded, "We're supposed to stay away from people...and bathrooms."

Raph raised a brow at his older brother, "I thought you wanted to be a hero?" he asked with a bite, "Since when do heroes ask from permission?"

"They don't, but—"

Donnie narrowed his eyes and looked back to the pair across from them from below the street; he wasn't having any of it and he refused to waste time. "Well I'm going!" he said with conviction, leaping off the edge without another word. Raph and the youngest turtle, Michelangelo, stared after his retreating form for a split second before leaping off the edge themselves, leaving Leo by himself. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists in irritation. Sometimes he couldn't understand how his brothers could easily annoy him to the point where he felt like clawing their throats out for being so reckless. He shook his head and unclenched his hands, sighing heavily in exasperation. He opened his eyes and narrowed them in determination as he leapt off after his brothers.

* * *

Splinter glared down at all of his sons with a mixture of anger and disappointment. It was only a few hours ago when Splinter had reluctantly allowed the four of them to venture up to the surface for the first time. He had kept them hidden in the underbelly of the city for years ever since that night he had encountered those strange men, the same men who had kidnapped this girl and her father. He hadn't been up on the surface himself in years, and for a good reason, too. Humans wouldn't be accepting of him and his sons, their response would either be to scream in fright and run away from them, or contact the authorities and they all would experimented on in a lab. And Splinter refused to let that happen to his sons; to be treated like they were some kind of wild animal you could stare at in the zoo.

"And so your inability to work together allowed them all to get away." the old rat master scolded his sons, who were sitting in front of him with their hands resting in their laps. Raphael snapped his head to his eldest son, Leonardo, and glared at the blue clad turtle heatedly, "Well, maybe if I didn't have to waste time arguing with hero boy, I could've saved them." he retorted fiercely, placing the blame over the latter. Leonardo glared icily at the former, "Hey, if you hadn't gotten in my way, I could've done it." he shot back, jabbing a finger to himself.

Leonardo turned his head in a flash at the second youngest turtle. "And _you_ went flying off on your own. How smart was that?" he reprimanded while spreading his arms out slightly to emphasize his point. Donatello glared at the blue masked turtle, "Well, it would've worked out great if _somebody_ hadn't hit me in the head with their _nunchucks!"_ he snapped viciously as he snapped his head to the youngest turtle, Michelangelo. The latter blinked and narrowed his baby blue eyes, "Well...none of this would've ever happened if—" he gestured to the empty space next to him, blinking once as he realized he had no one else to blame.

He faltered for a few seconds before glaring back at his older brothers. _"Somebody_ hadn't trusted up to go up there in the first place!"

Splinter continuously paced with his hands clasped behind his back, brewing over as all of his sons continued to bicker and place the blame on all of them. He paused abruptly at Michelangelo's comment that was clearly not thought over carefully. His other sons all gasped and he could feel their shocked and hesitant eyes trailing up at him. Splinter's expression remained stoic but his ears twitched slightly. He knew Michelangelo didn't exactly blame him in particular, since there was no one left for the youngest to blame. But that didn't mean his words weren't true. It was Splinter's responsibility to care for and train his sons to the best of their abilities. But he never trained them to fight as a unit.

Michelangelo realized his mistake a second too late as he winced, guilt in his freckled features. He placed a hand over his head and rubbed his sheepishly, frowning as his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. "Oh, geez," he muttered; he didn't mean to blame Splinter, he just didn't have anyone else to blame. "Sensei, I didn't mean to—"

"No, Michelangelo." Splinter interrupted, "You are right."

Shock took his four sons' expression and they all looked up at him like he lost a head.

"I am?" Michelangelo asked just as his brothers did the same, "He is?" they all chorused.

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there," Splinter began as he resumed his pacing, "I trained to fight as individuals, not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine." he said as he looked down, "Perhaps in another year we can try again." he suggested much to his sons' disappointment. Donatello's eyes widened in disbelief as he stammered, "Another year?!" he nearly shouted, looking aghast as he looked at his brothers and father, "Has everybody forgotten that people were _kidnapped?!_ They don't have a _year!"_ he ranted before looking up at his father, eyes pleading, "Sensei, we have to do something _now!"_

Splinter stopped and looked down at his brilliant son, who was looking up at the rat with a pleading expression on his face, his own expression stoic and revealing no emotion. "You weren't there, Sensei." Donatello said, "You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared. And she was counting on me _—u-us—"_ he faltered as his brother glared at him indignantly. "—to save her!"

Splinter mulled over his second youngest sons' words as he looked up, eyes narrowed before he turned around and walked closer to the shrine he kept in the dojo. His crimson eyes gazed into a framed photograph. The photograph was black and white, like in those old movies Splinter used to watch with his mother when he was younger. The photo consisted of himself in his old form back when he was a human, features stoic but soft, standing next to his beloved wife, Tang Shen, little Miwa cradled in her arms. It had been nearly sixteen years ever since he had lost his family to the man who he used to call his brother. As he continued to gaze into the photo, it was almost as if he could hear the crackling of flames ringing in the night air, the cracking of debris falling off the structure of the building, a baby's cry and blades meeting flesh.

His features softened as the memories quickly began to flood in his head, and he realized then that his intelligent son was indeed right; they had to save that girl and her father. Splinter could sense that Donatello might've had an infatuation with the girl that was kidnapped, something he never thought would ever happen since his sons could never even have some sort of relationship with the opposite gender. A cruel truth but Splinter understood more than anything that his son wanted— _needed_ to save this girl.

He turned around swiftly as he addressed his sons, "Yes," he finally said, "you must save her."

Leonardo frowned, "I agree, Sensei," he said, "But in that fight, we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine." he admitted sheepishly. Michelangelo nodded, "Like that robot with the brain thingy." his brother shared a collective roll of their eyes; Michelangelo had earlier explained that he encountered one of the strange men and saw that he had some sort of...'brain thingy' trapped in his chest. None of them really believed him, but the youngest had been adamant and it was clear as day in their expressions that were growing increasingly irritated. "Give it a rest," Raph snapped, his voice both angry and weary at the same time.

Splinter hummed as he closed his eyes, stroking his beard in thought as he mulled over his sons' words, ignoring Michelangelo's. It was clear neither of them could fight as a unit, their personalities clashed wildly and it just wouldn't work if they didn't have some form of direction. They would need a leader for their team and although Splinter knew the requirements and tools to be one, he had to let his sons figure this out on their own, now that they were older. "If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader." he advised.

The turtles all gave him confused looks and tilted their heads at him, but Leonardo merely grinned from ear-to-ear and his hand shot up as if he was a student answering a teacher's question. "Can I be the leader?" he asked eagerly and Splinter withheld the strength to grin down at his eldest. Raphael turned to the eldest just as Splinter made his way towards his bedroom. "Why should _you_ be the leader?" Raphael asked, "I kicked your _butt!"_ he punched his own hand for effect, _"I_ should be the leader." he decided. Donatello glared, "Hey, I'm smarter than all you guys put together. It should be me." he retorted as he crossed his arms, sounding sure of himself. Michelangelo frowned deeply, "No way! It should be _me!"_

A beat of silence. They all stared at the youngest and blinked once, staring at him as if he grew a pair of heads. Michelangelo remained oblivious as he grinned, "I don't really have a reason. I just think it would be neat."

Splinter grinned in amusement as he rolled his eyes with a fond shake of his head. Boys, he thought to himself as he regarded his quarreling sons, "This is a difficult decision." he gained their attention, "I will meditate on it." he said as he slid the doors shut and waited about for a second or two. He slid his doors open and, "It's Leonardo." he decided before sliding the door shut again.

The four turtles all blink once and Leo restrains the urge to grin smugly, but he couldn't help but turn his head to his immediate younger brother, "No hard feelings, Raph?" he asked and Raph glared sourly, grunting as he stood up and began to stomp out of the dojo, "Stick it in your shell."

* * *

Sirens rang in the distance in the nighttime air as all four turtles stood on the rooftop where the kidnapping had happened hours ago. Although, when the three turtles found what Leo's great plan was, they wished they could have stayed at home instead. Though they never spent this much time out in the surface so they couldn't complain much. Mikey sat with his knees drawn up to his chest on the edge, next to his older brother, and he cupped his large hand around his mouth. "Explain to me one more time what we're doin' here?" he asked for nearly the umpteenth time.

His brother all groaned in annoyance; the three older brothers knew they shouldn't get too angry or irritated with the youngest turtle, ever since Donnie had diagnosed his ADHD about five years ago. But still, there were times where it was difficult to put up with him. "Mikey, we've been over this." Leo said in exasperation. He pointed over to the building across from the rooftop they were standing on, "That building has the same logo as the van that was used to kidnap the family. So if we wait here long enough, at least one of the kidnappers will eventually show his face. And when they do, we'll make them tell us where they took them."

Mikey beamed at his older brother, "And then we got ourselves a van!" he said with enthusiasm, pumping his fist high in the air. Leo's smirk fell off his face as he smacked his forehead, "Just hit the guy I tell you to." he said in annoyance. Mikey hardly seemed faze by Leo's tone of voice as he grinned widely, "Will do!" he complied, giving him a thumbs-up. Leo smiled as he turned his eyes back down the street, and Raph shot him a skeptical look, "You sure this is gonna work?" he asked doubtfully as he folded his arms across his chest.

Leo grinned confidently, "Trust me, they'll be here any second."

An hour or two came and went as the four turtles waited and waited. Mikey and Donnie proceed to play a game of paper football, Donnie making a quiet, surprised sound at the back of his throat when the piece of paper Mikey flicked across to him smacked him softly on the forehead. Donnie glared in offense at his younger brother, who chuckled sheepishly. A few minutes swept by and Mikey was sitting on the edge of the rooftop, his shell facing Leo since he was dozing off across from the other side. Donnie played a short round of jump rope before he yelped in alarm when he accidentally tripped over the thin material, face planting onto the gravel.

Fifty minutes came by as Mikey and Donnie sat shell-to-shell, the younger playing a game of I-Spy, Raph standing near them with a sour expression. Mikey grinned over at his older brother, "Okay, I'm thinking of something green." he told Donnie, who had one knee pulled to his chest, the other dangling over the edge of the rooftop, a bored and weary expression on his face. _"Ga-reen. Ga-reen."_ Mikey egged him on, and Donnie blinked once. A beat of silence. "...is it Raphael again?"

Mikey punched the air as he beamed brightly, "Man, you're good at this!"

Sirens could be heard in the distance as Leo stared down at the building across from them. His oceanic blue eyes were calculating and focused as he waited patiently, a patience none of his brother clearly possessed.

Especially Raph.

"Give it up already!" the second eldest snapped, and Leo's gaze shifted him to the angrier and less patient turtle, who was pointing a finger at him. "The guy's not gonna show."

Leo hardly looked bothered by his blunt statement, "We have to be patient," he simply said with a light shrug of his broad shoulders.

Raph shook his head, narrowing his green eyes, "No, you have to come up with a better plan!" he retorted, "'Cause the four of us standing here with our thumbs up our noses—"

"I don't think they'd fit," Mikey interjected as he held up his thick thumbs and looked them over. Raph glanced at him for a second before shifting his eyes back to Leo.

"—is pointless!" he proclaimed.

To Raph's surprise, Leo merely smirked as he looked back down at the street, "You sure about that, Raph?" he asked with a smug tone, and Raph's eyes flattened. "He just showed up, didn't he?" he droned just as a bright light flooded the street across from them, a gangly man dressed in a pair of jeans and white tank-top steeping out. "I should've complained two hours ago." he grumbled as the four turtles gathered side-by-side, Leo panting his hands on his hips.

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan!" Leo suddenly declared, echoing his favorite character from Space Heroes, Captain Ryan, "There's no time for hesitation! My orders must be carried out _without_ question!" he suddenly opened his eyes and frowned when he noticed he was standing all by himself on the edge, "Guys?" he called, "Guys, wait up!" he cried as he leapt down and the metal fire escape clanged as Leo slid down from it before twisting around and leaping onto the pavement, following after his brothers. They couldn't make it five minutes without walking away during his monologues...

The turtles all slowly walked up to the gangly man with caution, hands held out in front of them defensively. The man remained oblivious to their presence as he shut the van's door and walked out of the alley, starting in surprise as the turtles gathered around him from a safe distance. His eyes widened as they jumped from turtle to turtle, and Raph smirked, "All right, buddy," he began, "we can do this the easy way—or, my vote—the hard way." he grinned like the devil as he and his brothers all unsheathed their respective weapons, twirling his Sais in his hands expertly.

Donnie spun his Bo staff smoothly as he pointed it at the gangly man with shaggy hair threateningly, smirking confidently. "Yeah, look at it logically," he said matter-of-factly, "There are four of us and one of you." he looked at his brothers and chuckled, "What're you gonna do?" he teased with a conceited grin. The man held his arms out and looked at them cautiously. And suddenly, he pulled out a strangely shaped machine gun from behind his pocket and smirked widely as he shot at the four turtles. Pink lasers left the gun and the turtles all cried out in alarm as they hurriedly jumped out of the way.

Donnie and Raph hauled onto a nearby fire escape, and Raph whirled his fiery eyes toward his second youngest brother, _"You HAD to ask!"_ he snapped and Donnie flinched. Their eyes turned back to where the man had once been, and the tires squealed as the van drove away around the corner of the street, and the turtles sprung to action. Raph jumped down along with his brothers and he ran after the van, pausing as he looked back to their 'leader', and Donnie beat him to the punch. "He's getting away again!"

"No he's not," Leo said lowly and they ran and sprung up to the rooftops. They leapt and ran across the rooftops with instinctive grace and precision as they all spread out and followed after the car in a speedier direction. Raph leapt off from the surface he was standing and jumped on top of the speeding as if it wasn't a huge effort. His hands latched onto the surface as the van tipped side-to-side and the red masked turtle growled in irritation before he finally lost his balance and fell off the van, his shell creating cracked webs of concrete as laid upside down, groaning in pain.

The rest of the three turtles continued to sprint across the rooftops before springing onto the edge of another, following after the van. Pink lasers shot out and Mikey and Donnie flipped backwards as they jumped away from the fires of pink. Leo narrowed his eyes as he glanced at one of the tires for a split second, expertly dodging the laser shots that would surely fry him and he twisted slightly. He maneuvered himself upside down as he performed a fluid and smooth flip as he grunted as he pulled out one of his shurikens and tossed it accurately in the direction of one of the tires.

The tire's air expelled and the man began to lose control of the vehicle as it flipped over and rolled across wildly on the rough pavement, before finally flipping onto its side and smoke rose off the large van. The van's horn honked loudly before the sound died out and Leo leapt down and kneeled on the edge of another rooftop, a smug smirk on his features, "Now we're gettin' somewhere." he said.

The four turtles all gathered right around the corner from where the van was. Leo had his eyes narrowed as he made hand signals over his shoulders to inform his brothers to go around the back of the van, but he was oblivious to the odd looks his brothers were giving him, and Raph shook his head, "I. Don't. Know. What that...means!" he hissed as he made his own exaggerated hand signals. Leo shook his head softly and resisted the urge to pinch the space between his eyes. He sharply turned his head to his younger brothers, "Go around back!" he hissed quietly.

"Why didn't he just say so?" Mikey asked in a hushed tone as he gestured his arm, and Leo rolled his eyes skyward.

They all gained into defensive positions as they withdrew their weapons from their sheaths, looking around cautiously in case a pedestrian heard the loud noises and decided to snoop. They walked around the back of the van and noticed that the back doors were half-open as boxes were swarmed at the bottom, a hint of a pinkish magenta poking around the herd of boxes. Raph sheathed his Sais and opened the closed top part of the door and he made a small sound of surprise when something fell out of the van. It clinked onto the pavement and it rolled to a stop at Mikey's feet.

His baby blue eyes widened when he looked down at the object; it was large canister, and his features were illuminated by its greenish blue glow as he stared down at it with a mix of horror and astonishment. And he looked up at his brothers, all sharing similar expressions. **_"Mom?!"_** he gasped.


	3. Rise of the Turtles, Part 2

Jewel sits with her legs crossed on one another and she grazes her hands on her thighs. She blows out a breath and tucks a loose strand of hair away from her face. The room is too silent; no sound to be heard as she blinks against the darkness. The only source of light she has are the cracks through the sealed doors that kept her hidden from the outside world. She's bored, restless from not moving too much in a long time. Those alien bastards chained her up like she was some kind of deranged animal. She doesn't know _why._

 _How much do they know about me?_ She thinks to herself. The chains dig into her skin, no doubt bruising underneath their tight grip. She hated the cold and icy feeling of them. Her skin was smooth, it did not belong to be attached to titanium.

She's not used to the feeling of helplessness. She's always been ready for combat. She had to be for so many reasons. Her father taught her to keep her senses sharp and strike when appropriate. Those were the rules he taught her. And this odd feeling, knowing you could be able to do something for your safety, to ensure you'll live, _sucks._ It was like this gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach, twisting and coiling around her smaller intestines. It squished her lungs together and sealed her throat shut, no sound coming from her lips. Her head no longer hurt; it was now a soft and oddly soothing buzz at the back of her skull. Cuts a shade of vibrant crimson littered and ugly blackish purple bruises blossomed across her dark skin.

Saying those freaks tortured her would be the understatement of the year. They shot their guns at her repeatedly, and somehow her skin didn't peel off, which was a blessing in disguise; she had dark exotic skin, and she couldn't afford for any scar to mar her flesh when it provided some money for her. They actually had the audacity to whip her like she was some sort of _esclava._ And they performed some weird experiments on her, strapping her on a metal table and injecting some syringes into her. They were skinny and thin tubes filled with some fiery red liquid inside, the color of lava. She didn't know what kind of chemicals they contained, but it looked deadly, especially the side effects. The most prominent was the burning of her blood, as if someone were lighting up a torch and burning her bare skin and adding some acid just to be that cruel.

A metallic taste starts to fill her taste buds, and Jewel wrinkles her nose. The burning had since left her system, leaving her sore muscles numb and immotile. This strange feeling overcomes her and she doesn't know how to explain it. She just felt drained and heavy, like she aged thirty years older. She shifts a bit to get more comfortable—something she has to get used to now—and she leans back against the cool metal wall of the cell, closing her heavy eyelids shut and calling it a day, or night, whatever. She didn't see nothing different, everything was black either way, and she wanted nothing more than to succumb to the solid and murky depths of the dark world she lived in, dreaming of nothing.

Next thing she hears is the blaring of laser guns being shot, along with some yelling. Jewel instantly awakens, perking up at the sound and she whips her head to the sealed door. There's a small window that allowed her a minimal view. She furrows her brows and spots some pink lasers flying in the air, along with a streak of silver, and some other blurs of colors, these four the most significant: blue, purple, orange, and red, and...a flash of green?

Normally the raven haired girl would've jumped straight to her feet and inspect whatever chaos was going on, but these damn restraints prevented her from doing so. Instead, she opts to crane her neck as much as she could and try to get a better look. She hears more yelling, and the closer it got, it started to sound like...a battle war cry? Everything in her cell was muffled, so not much sound was heard unless it was _this_ loud. She wonders if she was starting to lose her mind when she heard someone holler, _"Booyakasha!"_

"What the hell does that even mean?" she couldn't help but ask softly under her breath, a mixture of disbelief and confusion. More shouting and gun shots could be heard from outside her cell, and that's when she heard some voices barking and snapping at each other, like a herd of wild dogs fighting for the last slice of prey. A small flicker of hope lights up in Jewel's chest, warming it up hot and ready before it dispersed just as soon as it'd came. Her shoulders deflate as she slumps; it was probably some experiment gone wrong. No one was coming for her. It's been three weeks and so far nothing's happened. Nothing's changed, and maybe that was okay. She hardly did much other than fool around and cause some trouble just for her own pleasure. She was difficult for people to deal with so this didn't come as a surprise. But still...would've been nice.

Just then, she hears a hiss of air near the back and she turns her head in curiosity. She lifts a brow, watching with wary curiosity as a pair of droids with alien mush in their stomachs walk over to her, guns in their hands, unblinking and no emotion. "Kraang, detain the one known as Subject 564 to the place that is the place to contain the one known as Subject 564." orders one of them, their voices cold and lifeless. Jewel couldn't help but roll her eyes in annoyance. They've been here for who-knows-how-long, yet they still couldn't speak proper _English?_ It was laughable once she thought about it.

Instantly, she hears something crackle to life and she looks down sharply when she saw that the chains wrapped around her hummed to life with a neon purple. She looks up with furrowed eyebrows as one of the creeps latch their hand around the back of the chain as they hauled her up to her feet. Her legs wobble slightly from the time it'd been since she'd been able to walk on her own will. A piece of black duck tape is clamped on her lips, though she finds it unnecessary. It wasn't like anyone was coming for her.

They say another long sentence that basically translated to keep her mouth shut. The tip of their laser gun was pushed at the back of her skull, and she was starting to feel the heat again, but it wasn't bad as before. It was hot but more like the type that made you sweat like a pig, but it still felt weird to her. A cool breeze instantly spikes her through her, blowing some of her hair back but it doesn't soothe the heat. In fact, it just seems to make it angrier when she notices that kicks it up a notch, burning her eyes now. _Weird._

* * *

It's been awhile since Jewel's been outside. She's been traveling from country to country for such a long time that she's never been able to really just go out and relish the outdoors. And it's New York, people don't take in the outdoors unless they're forced to. The last time she was actually outside for longer than three seconds was when she was around twelve. _It's...nice,_ she thinks to herself. The air was warm, just like when she was on that rooftop. A blindfold was wrapped around her head, concealing what the outside of the base looked like.

There were two aliens beside her, drawn close to her and their guns pointed at her sides, making the chain to dig harder through the fabric of her top. There was another one behind her, the gun at her head, feeling like some heavy weight she wanted to lift off. She heard the chop-chop of the spinning blades of the helicopter above her, and the sound grew louder until it quieted down as she heard it land from behind her. She heard a loud shriek and more yelling again, and then that's when she felt the aliens start to get violent.

The pressure of the gun became heavier and she cried out in surprise when she was shoved down to the ground. Out of instinct, she used the palms of her hands to soften the blow and she grunted as her palms smacked against the harsh gravel. Her precious wounds were stretched thin and she felt blood trickling down her sides. A dull ache brushed against the back of her skull. She felt a cold, metal hand grasp her bicep in an unforgiving grip as she was forcibly pulled off from the ground.

"Do that is which is known to be quiet." one droid ordered. She kept her mouth shut as she listened to the new sounds she was hearing. She heard more laser blasts coming from their guns, somebody shouting over the noise, and a nonhuman shriek. She felt a fist wind swing at her, blowing her hair back as her muscles coiled beneath her flesh. She sniffed and noted a hint of pollen, which was steadily growing heavier within each passing second. She heard someone yelling and barking orders at two people—named Raph and Mikey. She was dragged off away and the sounds of some fight were quieting down, and her back slammed against concrete.

She shifted a little until she gritted her teeth when she felt a throbbing pain ache at her side, scraping against her ribs. Her chest constricted and she hissed in a breath. She felt the icy chains tighten around her lithe frame, constricting her chest and tightening her ribcage. She grimaced at the discomfort as it jostled the wound in her side, trickling down her thigh like water. The black haired girl grunted as she felt someone dragging her feet down on the pavement and back to the chaos. The spinning blades and motor of the helicopter hovered over her, fading away into a distance before it became nothing but a hum, then to nothing at all.

Jewel couldn't hold back the loud and shrill scream that was forced past her lips when she felt an electrifying pain zap her from all sides. She heard it crackle and sizzling her raw and bare skin, smoke heavy in the air now. The corners of her eyes were blackening and her breathing grew ragged as she tightly gritted her teeth to force down the scream itching and gnawing at her throat. It felt as if the blood flowing through her veins was simmering and boiling, jarring her slender frame in a horrible jolt. She bit hard on her bottom lip and she tasted metallic passing by her lips and into her tongue. Her heart was beating out of her chest and she felt like it was about to explode, taking the rest of her with it.

The pain finally stopped and she slumped forward, breathing heavily. She wheezed and it felt as if blood was rushing out of her throat. Her lungs burned like fire as she fell to her knees, forehead tipping against the cold concrete. The smell of smoke was fading as she closed her eyes, a stinging pain blooming at her side. She stays in that position for a minute, then another, and then another until...

 _Snap._

There's something burning inside of her; it's like this pit of fire that's blazing in her chest and starts to whirl around like some kind of tornado. It's burning and it's hot, and it's this weird feeling she's not used to. And yet...she likes it. She relishes it.

It's starting to spread around her body. The flames ooze into the blood in her arms, legs, chest, it's this burning fire that makes her want to move, want to fight. And she can't help but obey it, obey the commands the fire is ordering her to do. It wants her to ignore the feeling of being trapped, being tortured like you were some sick experiment, of being the helpless damsel in distress. She hates that feeling, and she wants to be angry, because she _is_ feeling angry, and she wants to be the rebellious girl she is and fight back.

Gritting her, she wheels around and swings her leg. A head is kicked off, and the aliens jump back at the surprise of seeing her fight back. They waste no time in aiming their guns at her, and she just glares back them with a murderous cloud in her eyes. She lets the adrenaline take over her, ignoring the fact that the chains were wrapped her anymore, and attains a defensive stance.

She ducks low when a link laser flies at her, getting into an impressive split. She leaps back to her feet and spins around to clock one of the aliens, going for the chest since it was most vulnerable. The glass cracks and the shards are caught into her knuckles as the alien inside squeals. Her sharp nails claw into its ugly green eyes, feeling the slime as she likes through the cornias.

She smirks coldly at it, swiftly turning around again and this time taking the alien with her. She hurls the screaming and pained creature at another one, and more lasers are shot at her. They're speaking and they're telling each other to alert Kraang that she's gone rogue, but the only thing she wants to feel is the screaming and the loud shots they keep firing at her. It's fueling the flame inside her and she loves it.

The rest in the blind anger and the fierce need to rebel, the thing that she's good at, as the battle carries on. A deadly gleams is firing her eyes, her moves swift and smooth and lethal as a predator. She's flipping over a bunch of aliens and she uses the chain to wrap around them— "irony's a cruel bitch, huh?" she mocks cynically—and uses them to swing around and she's spinning and spinning until all of the droids are gone and distracted.

Dropping the chains, she wastes no time and runs out of there, climbing onto the crates and up to the high fence, wired heavily with circuits to electrocute. She sees green out of the corner of her eye, and her gaze briefly flicker to the right and she sees this big ass, colossal plant mutant that's shrieking and swinging at something—somebody— but she doesn't care at the moment. It was just another thing to distract the aliens and an advantage for her to escape.

So, without hesitation, she grins wickedly, and bends her knees before springing up high into the air, leaping past the sharp spikes of the fence, and she lands smoothly onto the soft blades of the grass. She feels the grass for a minute, the blades pricking through the surface of her skin, damp with water, and she runs off again. She's running faster than she ever has before, an exaggeration she doesn't have the energy to prove. She's running into the streets, into the bright city that never slept, noisy with people who are rude and obnoxious.

 _Lord, hear me free,_ she thinks to herself with a smirk.

* * *

Her heart is beating inside her chest as she slows her pace down as she rounds a corner on a street. She slows to a walking pace instead seeing that there was no more immediate danger that lurked in the corners, now blending into the masses of people.

She looks around the street; there's people here and there's bells ringing merrily as they come by and pass her. She tries to catch her breath as she tries to look inconspicuous, like she's just like one of them. They all ignore the injured girl, but not before she catches some concerned or weird glances sent her way. She looks down at her arms and notices the cuts and the bruises marring her dark skin. They're still fresh and she hissed and almost stop in her tracks when she feels a sharp pain shoot down her side. Quickly, she ducks away out of sight and back into an alleyway. It's darker and the only thing that lets her see through the darkness is the dim light of the lamppost out of the corner.

She looks down and peels off some of the fabric that's now stained with fresh blood. She makes an "ooh" sound under her breath, the blood still trickling down her side. It stings like hell and the adrenaline starts to burn away, leaking out of her and fatigue washes over her like a river over stone. Her eyes are heavy like rocks and all she wants to do is sleep and never wake up, but life wasn't kind, was it?

With a heavy sigh, she tugs down the fabric back and looks around for a cloth or something to stop the bleeding. It's not a heavy flow but it looked like it could lead to an infection. She would know; her father told her that if you ever had some sort of wound that was bleeding irregularly, it could lead to an infection if not treated properly. He was a doctor before he died, and he made it his job to scar her with random and useful medical facts that came in handy at times. Her favorite was stab wounds.

She opens the lid to the dumpster against the brick wall, and she's digging through the pitch black garbage bags filled with junk. The objects inside clang against the metal as she rips the cheap plastic and scavenging for anything more than just expired milk cartons and rotten fruit that reeked.

Sighing in disappointment, she lets the lid fall and bang loudly. She runs a hand through her hair, the pads of her fingers rubbing against her eyes. She hears footsteps approaching and she immediately goes stiff, forcing her muscles to relax in case it would show. Showing how aware and alert of the danger outwardly is dangerous, her father used to say to her back then. Normally, if this were a normal day, she would've just waited for her assailant to sneak up behind her and she would gain the upper hand on him, but today was obviously not a normal day. Added with a bleeding side, cuts and bruises, and an upcoming headache, particularly she wasn't in the mood to deal with whatever the asshole wanted from her.

Rolling her eyes skyward, Jewel readily wheeled around, swinging her leg with the remaining strength she had, and her foot connected with a man's nose. The man cried out in pain and stumbled a few steps back, holding his nose. His legs wobbled as he fell back on his ass, and from what Jewel could see, she saw some blood trickling down his nose, down to his lip. A string curses leave the man's lips and Jewel folds her arms across her chest. She looks at him with a calm and uncaring expression. "Don't you know that you should never talk like that in a lady's presence?" she evenly teases.

His gaze snaps back up to her and through his teary, red rimmed eyes, he glares holes into her, and Jewel can't help but feel satisfied. He staggers back to his feet and shuffles out of the alley, but not before swearing that she'll regret it. She just looks at him with cruel amusement in her eyes, shaking her head as she thinks to herself, Get in line, pal.

She makes a noise between a snort and a chuckle, taking one step forward, until her muscles go rigid. She hears a quiet click and then a whir, and slowly, she turns around. Her eyes widened when she catches sight of some weird device that's hovering over her. She furrows her brows and tilts her head to the side. It was shaped like a sphere in the center with a wide triangle that was glowing purple, and sharp, long claws jutting out of it. It looks like one of those devices those aliens have on them...and it looks like they were coming after her again.

"Shit," she curses silently as she wastes no twisting around and climbing up on the fire escape. The stairs make a loud clang against her hurried steps and she leaps up high and goes up onto the rooftops. There's a whirring sound behind her and she knows that it's about to attack her with lasers again. Which meant it was trying to slow her down, which meant that they were planning on kidnapping her again. Which more running and more hiding.

She flips in the air and twists her body gracefully around. She spreads her arms out in the air and looks at the device thing with a mixture of exasperation and irritation. "Don't y'all got anything better to do?" she can't help but ask in exasperation. What the hell did these freaks even _want_ from her anyway? She didn't have any money on her, except in her father's will. What, did they want all her gold medals? Her photographs? 'Cause they could just get those off the internet, the agency, or the magazines.

She leaps along the rooftops with practiced ease and precision, her flips smooth and fluid as she looks around her area. Her brain is working overdrive as she looks for any obstacle to evade the lasers shooting at her and to hide in plain sight. All she has to do is create a path of illusion and distract it somehow so it could lose her. Her eyes rove around the roofs if building, and out of the corner of her eye, she spots a skylight nearby, added with a billboard with gargoyles on either side.

A smirk graces her lips as an idea lights up as if a light bulb brightened above her head. She loves her mind more than anything at this moment.

She picks up her pace and waits until she's at the edge of the building. She flips forward and her fingers brush the concrete surface of the edge, and she's kicking her legs out in the air. The wind spikes through her as she's soaring in the air for a second or two until she landed back to her feet. She wasted no time bolting across the rooftop and performed a fluid cartwheel and the soles of her sneakers smacked against the metal surface of the water tower. She flipped back until she was on top, springing away as she twisted and turned onto the skylight on the building adjacent to her.

She stayed on the glass until the spacecraft loomed over her ominously, and with a loud zing, it shot a beam in her direction. Without wasting time, she flipped back and slid down another set of a fire escape. She perches onto one of the gargoyles beside the billboard and watched with a devious grin as the beam illuminates against the silver metal and bounces from the glass and then to the sphere. A deafening crack sounds through the air, like a building coming down, and the whole device explodes, dusting into a thick cloud of smoke.

She laughs, "Holy shit," she smiles in triumph and she's almost disbelieving. Someone once told her that most skylights in New York had resistant glass. Before she just dismissed it with a wave of her hand, uncaring toward the fact. _Well...thank you, Nicole,_ she thinks to herself. She jumps away and decides to run along the buildings. She doesn't know if that's the only craft they have on them and she doesn't have the energy for any more evading.

She decides to allow herself to be distracted for a moment as she gracefully moves across from building to building. It hasn't been that long since she's ventured on these types of rooftops, jumping from one to another until it's time to call it a night—or day, depending. She likes it when the wind cools her skin, allowing the rush to soothe her body. She's like a graceful and exotic ballerina, her moves fluid and smooth, nothing abrupt or uneven.

Her mind is on a blank and she notices it too late when she rams into something— _somebody_ —and then the next thing she knows, she starts to fall. The wind behind her hits her like a hurricane, and for a moment she's flailing and flailing her limbs out. Everything's swirling into a spiral and she can't exactly focus with the loud _whoosh_ rushing into her ears. She feels weird and uncoordinated, not what her father taught her to be as the rule of the ninja.

Suddenly, something—a _body_ —is slammed behind her like a train, knocking the air out of her lungs. She's spinning and spinning and she becomes dizzy. A shatter of glass shrieks behind her and suddenly and she grunts at the impact of her landing. Stars are dancing across her vision and she sees blue and green spots around her darkened eyesight. Her mind is reeling, and she hates it every time she gets distracted during her run on the rooftops. Her dad used to scold her for doing such a sin back when she lived in Japan. _Distraction is a grave weakness, Julia,_ he used to tell her, making her shrink back at just the _memory_ of it, _you can't just let your mind wander—even for a second—when you're travelling on the roof. Life is not a game you should toy with. It's a privilege._

Sometimes Jewel can't help but ignore those words that echo through her head. It's the rebel in her that makes her want to dare and disobey her father's words, because that's who she is. She can't help it if she wants to cause a little mayhem and a lot of mischief. Following the rules is like telling a little kid to eat broccoli. It's just impossible. So, when she blinks repeatedly, she can hear the quiet panting of a person on top of her, and she wonders how long it's been since the fall and the landing. There's something that feels sharp like a corner and it's digging into the skin of her back. Her vision finally clears and the first thing her eyes lock onto is pair of greyish blue eyes staring down at her with a mixture of panic and concern. She stares back at her apparent rescuer with a blank look on her face.

A flicker of disbelief and surprise crosses her features; the rescuer's skin was a dark, forest green, the skin of her biceps brushing against his scalier, much more muscled biceps, his eyes matched the color of the ocean, something to look through the heavy and deep depths. His eyes are rimmed with red and he was still panting softly, but it sounded more like from the shock than the pure exhaustion. Or maybe it was both. "Are you okay?" he asks her, softly. She remains speechless for a couple of seconds before, dangerously, she narrows her eyes at him, a snarl curling her lips. With the remaining strength she has left, she uses the flat of her palms to harshly push the green creep off of her, unfazed by his physical appearance. Who the hell would wear a stupid costume like that?

"Get off me, you freak." she cruelly snaps, and she swings her fist across his jaw, knocking him down. She gets back to her feet in no time and glares down at him. The green costumed guy just sits there, one large hand cradling his jaw, blinking at her, before he rises to full height. Jewel's jaw dropped, and she stares at the boy with a look of anger and bemusement. He was well built, the sinew layering his arms and legs and they were thick and conditioned, as if he worked out a ton. It was hidden beneath a pebbly layer of forest green skin, which was peculiar when combined with the unique frontal armor that looked fused with anterior, along with the carapace on his back. She notices the hilts of tradition katana swords her father used to weld, along with a blue mask that matched the color of his eyes, tied around the middle of his face.

"The fuck?" she says incredulously, looking at him with disbelief, "What the hell are you _wearing?"_ The turtle dressed boy opens his mouth, and then closes it, and he just stares at her with an odd look and he tilts his head to the side. He looks confused, she notes, like he's expecting her to do something. She eyes him suspiciously, unsure whether or not she should just let it go and walk out that door...

She hears a clatter and then a door swinging open, along with what sounds like trampling as three boys barge into...an antique shop, from the ancient artifacts, and the fact this place smelled like dust. The turtle dressed boy whirls around and Jewel looks over his shoulder and her eyes widen. There's three more of them, barging into this quaint, little shop and the bells ring merrily, a complete opposite of her mood.

 _"Leo!"_ one them says, a rough edge to his tone. Her eyes turn into slits as she gazes at these similarly dressed costumed boys. The one on the left had dark green skin, electric green eyes that glowed even through the dim lighting provided by the pale white moon. He's shorter and stockier than the one in the blue mask, but his muscles are larger and bulkier than all turtle dressed boys combined. The one in the middle had a purple mask, an olive tone to his green skin, reddish brown eyes that looked similar to dark caramel, and he was much lankier than the other, a traditional wooden Bo staff clenched in his large hands. The one on the far right was shorter than all of them, a bright orange mask that betrayed the darkness, and his skin is a lighter green, large baby blue eyes staring at her or the other turtle.

She spots some of the minor similarity between them, quickly deducing the possibility of them being brothers or some sort, like the kneepads along with some wrappings. They all have muscles packed into them, skin scaly like an actual turtle, and she wonders why they're even dressed as turtles. It wasn't even Halloween season, so why the hell would they—

The realization hits her like a truck as she keeps staring at them with an even expression on her face, but it cracks through her features and she watches them with interest as they start conversing, starting off with Green Eyes.

"Leo, what the _shell_ were you thinking?!" Green Eyes explodes in anger, balling his fists at his sides. The one with the blue mask and eyes—Leo, she realizes—steps partially in front of her, as if to shield her from their prying eyes. His arms are crossed defiantly, and she doesn't need to see his face to tell that he was glaring at the other turtle— _maybe_ a turtle, her mind is adamant—and he fires back, "I didn't predict the chances of bumping into a girl jumping on the rooftops midair!"

"We're not supposed to be seen by _humans,_ Fearless!"

"I _know_ that, Raph, but it's not like I _intended_ to bump into her!" 'Leo' retaliates, and Jewel continues to stare back and forth at them. The one in the purple mask and orange mask just stare at her, one with confusion and wariness in his eyes, and the other with childlike wonder.

"Okay, who the hell even _are_ you creeps?" Jewel can't help but snap, growing increasingly tired of the bickering and that fact that, _holy fuck,_ she's in the presence of humanoid, mutant, _fucking_ turtles. They all stiffen and, slowly, all eyes are on her now, and while she's used to boys staring at her all the time, these stares are more out of fear than sly smugness, which strangely she finds herself being okay with. It's a nice change.

Green Eyes—Raph— just looks at her with seething eyes, and he takes a threatening step forward. The one with the purple mask takes one step as well, "Raph." he calls warningly. But he ignored Purple Guy, and the one named Leo uses his sharp shoulder as if to protect her from whatever harm this guy could inflict on her. But she hardly cares; if he decided to get rough, she would face him head-on. He jabs a pointer finger at her, like he's warning her, "Listen here, Princess, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once." she lifts a brow but doesn't say anything, "You're gonna go home, clean yourself up a nice bubble bath, and pretend like none of this ever happened. You're not gonna tell anyone about us, 'cause if you do, we _will_ come after you. Understand?"

She stares at him with a blank and dull expression, looking like she hardly cared. "Is that a threat?" she asks, simply. He glares harder, "Call it what you want." he offers in the same rough and angry tone she usually hears from a blonde friend of hers that yaps like that when she's pissed off.

She folds her arms across her chest, giving him an even expression. These turtles— _freaks,_ she corrects herself. Because they're no different from those alien bastards—all look at her funny, and 'Raph's' glare eases, not by much, and slowly he takes his finger away. She narrows her eyes at them, "Is this some kind of sick joke?" she blurts, looking less than happy. "Because if it is, then this is seriously fucked up."

They all share a look, and they look confused, and she observes them carefully and opens her mouth to say something. But the words die on her tongue as she sharply hisses in pain, falling forward as her hands shoot to her side. Her skin is instantly slicked with warm liquid dribbling down her side, bleeding through the thin material of her top. Her side starts to throb and sting, and it's probably because she still hasn't treated it yet and she's been so busy evading and being trapped in an antique store with a bunch of mutant _fucking_ turtles, that she forgets all about it. And now it comes back to bite her back in the ass.

A scaly hand lands on her shoulder, and her eyes pop wide open when they lock back onto Blue Eyes. "Are you okay?" he asks her worriedly, lips tugged down in a deep, concerned frown. She wrinkles her nose and pushes him away, but there isn't as much force as she'd liked.

"Get your hands off of me, you sick creep!" she snarls venomously, and the one named Raph glares daggers at her.

"Hey, he's just trying to help!" he defends the blue masked turtle, "You're lucky we didn't just leave you here to snap your spine!"

"Well I'm sorry if it's a little difficult for me to adjust that I've gone insane and I am talking to a bunch of _humanoid reptiles."_ she snaps back with equal force of hositily, ready to rip this guy a new one. Is she hallucinating? Because with the amount of blood that keeps leaving her system, this wouldn't come as a surprise.

Her legs start to wobble and she suddenly feels light-headed. She knows that she needs medical attention but her head is too dizzy and she doesn't have any more strength left in her. The adrenaline is no longer in her system, leaving her weak and vulnerable to these reptilian freaks.

A hand steadies her again, latching onto her shoulder. Her head snaps up and use meets a pair of mahogany eyes. "Is it okay if I take a look?" he asks her in a soft, gentle tone, as if he were speaking to a child. Normally Jewel would scowl and tell him to go fuck off, but she keeps her mouth shut instead. Her father's voice comes back to her ears, telling her that she needs to quit acting like a stubborn brat, and let the doctor do his job. Well, this turtle is obviously no doctor, but she's too tired to care at this point and frankly, she gonna go with the string belief that this is all just a dream and she'll probably wake up and find herself still wrapped in chains in that dark cell.

She nods faintly, muttering a, "Fuck it," with a roll of her eyes. The turtle puts one hand on her back to help her stand somewhat upright, and the other gently taking her hands off the bleeding wound. She looks away and opts to stare at ancient chandelier that's chipped with silver and golden paint, and some cracked glass of the bulbs. She grits her teeth when his thick finger prods the center of the wound, and she jerks back at the shape pain.

She looks down and Brown Eyes winced sheepishly, "Sorry," he apologizes, and she just shakes her head at him, looking away. "It doesn't look too serious, but it's bleeding a lot and you're probably going to need stitches." he informs her, and she hums. The three other turtles all stare at her and her mind just spins at the night she was having. Was it her or was this moving a little too fast?

The one called Leo had his arms crossed, "How did this happen?" he hesitantly asks, and she spares him a glance. She shrugs one shoulder and looks at them with an even expression, "I was held in captivity for three weeks." she simply explains, and they all perk up at the mention of 'captivity'

"Captivity?" Brown Eyes hums, straightening up as his hand stayed glued to her side. "Wait—who was holding you captive? Do you remember?"

"Of _course_ I remember, you dumb fuck." she snaps, and she knows that she sounds ungrateful and just plain mean, but she's tired and her side is throbbing and she _hates_ getting stitches. "And if you must know, it was these alien robot brains that talked funny and called themselves the Kraang." each turtle visibly goes rigid at the mention of the aliens, and when she notices the deathly silence, she raises one brow. "Wait, do you know 'em or somethin'?"

They all share a look and she can't tell what silent message their eyes are having, and the one with the purple mask looks back at her. "We're...familiar with them. But rest assured that they are _not_ our friends." he pauses again, looking like he's unsure of whether or not he wants to say something that's on his mind. "...why did they capture you?" he asks, hesitantly, like he's afraid of the answer that would come out of her mouth, or maybe just the fact she would yell at him and call him a cruel name.

She seals her lips together tight. She didn't know them, and they didn't know her, and just because neither liked the same race (wait, that came out wrong...), it didn't make them best friends. But, they would have to do for now, and it's not like she had to give them her life story.

She hefts her shoulders in a shrug. "I don't know," she admits, "All I know is that they called me Subject 564 and experimented on me with these drugs."

He raises an eyeridge, and his brothers behind him share an odd look. "Drugs?" he repeats, "What _kind_ of drugs?"

"I don't _know._ All I know is that they injected drugs in me, and locked me in a cell all by myself for three weeks. That's all I have so you can take it and leave it." she grits, frustrated beyond belief with their consistent questions. He looks at her with an unreadable expression on his face, and finally, he nods once. He turns around, hand still on her side. The next words that come out of his mouth not only surprises her, but his brothers as well.

"We should take her to the lair."

It's not even three seconds and already the protests spews out of their mouths like word-vomit.

 ** _"WHAT?!"_**

"Are you _crazy?!"_

"Wait, we can keep her?!" okay...that one was not a protest, and Jewel could help but twist her face at the question of it. "Freaking racist," she mutters under her breath.

Surprisingly, the tall turtle remains calm and unfazed by all their reactions. "We should take her to the lair," he repeats, and when the guy called Raph opens his mouth to protest, he beats him to the punch. "Those aliens injected some drugs in her that regular hospitals probably don't know about, and if the Kraang notice that one of their prisoners are missing, then they're gonna be coming after her." he argues and they all continue to gape at him with wide eyes. "I'm not saying it has to be permanent—but we can't just leave her off the streets. Can you guys honestly tell me with a clean consciences that you can live with that?"

The three turtles all stay silent after that, and Jewel could hear the wheels turning in their heads as they fidgeted nervously. She blinks once. "What makes you think I live in the streets?" she asks in a deadpan tone, looking at him with flat eyes. He looks at her and gives her the same look. "You were jumping across the rooftops all by yourself and from my understanding, most kidnapped teens usually come to their parents first thing."

Jewel glares but doesn't say anything back, mainly because she can't argue with that. She's been on her own since her father died, and especially since she got out of custody from an old friend of his. An old friend she didn't like to talk about. "Fair enough."

"But we can't just take her to the lair," Raph says, and the one called Leo nods in agreement, "He's right, Donnie. Even if she is in danger, I doubt Splinter will allow it."

"But we can't just leave her alone, guys," the one with the orange mask pipes up, and Jewel's gaze flickers to him in surprise since he hasn't talked much. "It's not like we can ask April, and she hasn't ran away from us."

A protest hangs in the back of her throat, ready to fire and defend herself...until Blue Boy decides to speak up.

A heavy sigh, and then, "Okay, fine, we can take her to the lair. But she has to wear a blindfold and I'm talking to Splinter about this first."

Brown Eyes— _Donnie_ —nods once, "That's fine. All I need is about an hour." he says, and Jewel can't help but snap back at them viciously. "Okay, do I get any say in all of this?" she asks, her voice coated with annoyance. Raph scoffs, "If you wanna live, then no." he snarks, "But frankly, I can't find it in me to aid some spoiled brat in need."

She narrows her eyes at him but doesn't say anything. The one called Donnie turns fully to her, "I know we're not...exactly what you're used to." _no shit, Einstein,_ she thinks bitterly, "But you're bleeding a lot and I need the right equipment to drain the drugs out of your system."

His eyes linger and ask the question itself, and she considers her options for a moment. Her eyes narrow into thin slits, and she eyes them all warily. Their expressions are sincere, no lie to be told, aside from Green Eyed Grumpy Ass, regarding her with an uncaring expression. Her calculating eyes blink once, and, finally, her shoulders deflate like a balloon, and she nods once. "Fine. But one wrong move and I'll slit your throats before you could even _beg—got it."_ she threatens, snarling like a feral beast for extra detail. The one with the baby blue eyes and the Donnie guy widen their eyes to the size of saucers, while the other two just glare at her in offense, but she hardly cares if she hurt their feelings.

 **...**

"Wait a minute...you mean to tell me that you guys live...in the _sewers?"_ Jewel asks with a blank expression. She wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting. Though it came as more wonder than surprise. It made sense. Construction workers mostly ventured into the sewers, because that was part of their job, and no one else would have the balls to go in.

"In an old subway station, actually." Donatello—the four introduced each other by this point—corrects her. He held the lid of the manhole while his brothers climbed down. She didn't have to be a physic to tell that they were tense with nervous anticipation. "I know it's not ideal...but it's the easiest way to get there." He gestures with a hand towards the dark hole. Even from a few feet away Jewel could feel the cool draft leaking out, and she sniffed once and wrinkled her nose in distaste at the unpleasant aroma wafting from below. She pouted childishly and rolled her eyes skyward. Donnie quickly covered her eyes with a blindfold he'd found in the old antique shop.

He was careful as to not strain her injury, a lanky yet impossibly strong arm wrapping around her waist. She was lowered into the dark sewer, the smell of sewage wafting through her nostrils. A slight grimace twists her face. "We're not walking in raw sewage, are we?"

"What?! No!" she hears Donnie sputter in disgust and disbelief, "There are walkways."

She nods once and leans most of her weight on him. She can hear the soft patter of his feet and she can hear somebody—probably Green Eyes—grumbling under his breath, something about this being a _very_ bad idea. _No arguing here, asswipe,_ she thinks wryly to herself. While she did intend to come back into society, she never intended to actually bump into and meet humanoid turtles that apparently live in a subway station in the sewers. Either this was a hallucination from the blood loss or everything she always knew in life is _seriously_ being questioned.

She hears someone backing up and bouncing beside her. She hears the quiet clatter of chains as the mutant beside her continued to bounce like he's just won some sort of grand prize. "So, like, what's your name, dudette?" she makes a face at the name, "We don't know anything about you."

"That's because we'd just met." she says in a clipped tone. This doesn't seem to deter the cheery turtle—Mikey, he told her to call him—as he continues to babble on. "I know, but...well, we're friends now and since you're bunking with us, we might as well know."

"I never said anything about staying with you freaks."

"Do you have anyone to go home to?" he probes her, his voice curious with wonder, and it reminds her of a little kid's voice. There's no malice behind it and it's almost sweet. But she's not going to let it faze her. Puppies are cute but this reptilian monster isn't.

She stays silent at the question, refusing to divulge in any more questions about herself and her personal life. She didn't know this wackjob and he didn't know her. She was just going down to their subway station, let Donnie treat her, and then leave and get back to her life. She'll probably have to hide from the aliens while she's at it and probably come up with a disguise.

"You're gonna love our place," Mikey boasts, the warbler tension gone as she decides to listen instead. "We have a tire swing, a dojo—ooh, and I have state-of-the-art collectible action figures!" she pauses at the second thing he lists and snaps her blindfolded eyes to him. "Wait a minute, you guys have a dojo?"

She feels Donnie's arm tense around her waste, and she feels the slight wind picking up as Mikey enthusiastically. "Yeah! We got this like rad Sensei, his name's Master Splinter btw, and he's like the master of ninjutsu!" he beams and Jewel just tapes because _holy SHIT ninja turtles?_ She probably should've already guessed when she saw their straps that carried traditional Japanese weapons her father used to have back then.

Her thoughts catch up with the memory and she looks like she's realizing something that's been right in front of her. "So you're...ninja...mutant...turtles?" she slowly drawls, voice calloused with disbelief.

She hears Donnie scoff, "Well when you put it like _that_ it sounds _ridiculous."_

"And we're teenagers." Mikey adds on, and Jewel rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I got that." she says, sarcasm leaking through. She scoffs again and shakes her head, "I must be losing my fucking mind," she grouses under her breath, shaking her head. She wants to laugh and the back of her throat is itching with just the pure stupidity of it. Her mind doesn't seem to wrap around the fact that she's heading further into a _sewer tunnel_ with giant, _man-sized_ turtles that she just _met._

It feels like half an hour when they get there, as they twist and turn with Donnie dragging her along. She knows it intentional. If they train in ninjutsu and good as they probably _think_ they are, then they know the importance of secrecy, _especially_ since they're turtles. _Mutant_ turtles.

 _Gross._

The weight of Donnie's arms disappears from her waist, and she can feel thick and large thumbs untying the knot stuck behind her head. Light pours into her eyes and she blinks, one, two, and she's now looking straight ahead at a subway railroad tunnel. It's dark and the room is cast in an orange glow, and she glances at the walls. She curls her nose when she finds the slimy fluid that splatters the wall like blood. The smell stings her nose and she tries to keep her breakfast in. Though at the mention of her stomach, she can feel it growling with hunger, begging for her to nourish it.

She ignores her stomach as they lead her away from the railroad tracks. Donnie keeps a steadied hand on her shoulder, maybe because she would collapse, and suddenly she's surrounded on all sides. The red masked turtle is front of her, the happy one behind her, and she knows that because Blue Eyes is right next to her. They trek down the railway tunnel, carefully avoiding the rails. A pleasant smell of air freshener and hazel nut hits her nose and lights pour into her eyes.

"Home sweet home!" Mikey crows, sliding in front of her in a fluid motion. He has his arms stretch out wide and legs parted, his three toes pointing up as if he's saying "ta-da!" with his body. Jewel pulls a face and glances over at Blue Eyes—she refuses to call him Leo—who was carefully avoiding looking at her and twisting his hands. She cocks her head to the side and the corners of her lips twitches up.

She climbs a small flight of steps and hops over a row of turnstiles, then lets her eyes roam around and soak up the room in front of her. In the middle of the room there was a 'pit' of sorts, littered with cushions and beanbag chairs, and a small television with several cooking utensils connected to it and wires exposed. Above it was a spiraling staircase that hung in midair and seemed to lead to nowhere. To the right was a moat and a few paper dividers set up in archways, and to the left was a huge set of metal doors. Straight ahead looked to be a hallway of some kind.

She regards the whole room with an even expression on her face. "It's nice," she compliments, and Mikey beamed wider. He dashed ahead of her and in the pit, Mikey was pulling a drawer out of a plastic shelf with uncontrolled enthusiasm. He shot up to his feet and held out some sort of DVD disc. "Welcome to our lair, dudette!" he says with a huge grin on his face. Jesus, she thinks to herself, his smile could rival a clown's.

"Lair?" Raph snorts. Mikey just sticks his tongue out in defiance. He looks back to her, "Come look at all my games!" Michelangelo squeals. In an instant, he dashes over to Jewel, grabs her tight by the wrist, and drags her over to the pit. Jewel grunts in surprise, but by the time she can blink they were already in the pit and Mikey was now kneeling next to the drawer he had pulled out.

"Are you a gamer? Do you play games?" Mikey chattered, going _way_ too fast for her liking. She was used to _William's_ eccentric behavior, but this guy was on a whole other _level._ He pulls out discs in cracked plastic cases. "I've got all the retro ones!"

"I don't play videogames." Jewel says, pulling a face when she sees one cartoon character with a fiery sword and something that looks like Mario Kart. Something catches her eyes and she points a finger at it, "What's that?"

Mikey tilts his head up at her before fishing through the discs. He makes a confused face as he pulls out one. "You mean this?"

Jewel furrows her brows as she looks at it dumbly for a few seconds, before recognition pulls at her face and she smirks in bemusement. "Is that one of the older versions of the Space Heroes videogames collection?"

"You like Space Heroes?" Blue Eyes asks her, a mixture of bemusement and hope. She turns his head at him, a ghost of a smile on her lips. She shrugs one shoulder. "A little," she admits, "I used to watch it with a friend of mine and we used to role play our favorite characters." she explains with a snicker. His face lights up and she has to admit, it looks odd on him. It seems foreign in a way since his face has been more serious and less like a kid who found a new friend. It's actually kind a cute in a dorky kind of way.

"Okay, fine, I'll show you later," he said a bit dejectedly. Then his eyes lit up with sudden excitement. "Do you want a tour? I can totally give you a tour!" From behind her, she could hear Green Eyes sigh and slap a hand on his face. She blinks once or twice at him before Donnie cuts into the one-sided conversation. "You can give her a tour after we're done, Mikey." he walks over to them and gently grabs ahold of her hand, and she lets him lead her into what he called his lab. He slides the metal door shut behind them and lets go of her hand. "You can sit on the chair next to one of the—"

"—turbine mixers." she finishes for him, and he looks at her in surprise and something impressed, "It's pretty dope," she muses as she takes a seat next on the stool, ignoring the gawking face of the boy named Donatello. She crosses her arms over her chest and looks around the lab. "Admittedly impressive." she notes as he grabs a first-aid kit that's on a huge shelf labeled chemicals on the wall. "Even my school doesn't have this kind of equipment."

"What kind of school do you go to?" Donnie asks her as he latches open the box, taking out some gauze and wetting a cloth with a bottle filled with water. His eyes ask the question and she peels some of her top so he could press it to her side. "It's this advanced performance arts school in Manhattan." she replies, only giving him vague answers instead. She doesn't know them, and she refuses to trust them until...well, until something. Donnie hands her a two pills and she takes them without hesitation. "Do I seriously need pain meds?" she drones with a voice deader than her mother. He blinks and eyes her with confusion. "How did you know they were pain meds?"

"I know a lot more than you think."

He continues to eye her with a look of bemusement and something else she can't decipher. She swallows the pills dry, a trick an old friend of her dad's taught her shortly after he died. Donnie grips the blue cloth and looks at her with a more serious expression, reminding her of the face her dad made when he was in his 'Doctor Mode'. "I'm gonna have to apply direct pressure to the wound." he warns her, "It doesn't look serious, since it's a clean cut, so I'll have to—"

"—clean with soap and water, make sure to rinse out all the soap, and apply antibiotic cream so I don't get an infection and then wrap it around with a sterile bandage." she finishes for him, batting her long lashes and smiling at him with a dazzling grin. He gapes at her dumbfoundedly before, slowly, it dips down into a scowl, annoyed and irritated. "Can you please stop doing that?"

"Only if you don't tell me the obvious." she fires back, smirking at him with smug eyes, and he puffs his cheeks out like a chipmunk before huffing. Annoying people was like second nature to her, well, third nature to her. Disobeying orders from her superiors—or anyone, really—is more like second nature to her. She doesn't know why; maybe it's just the way people would glare at her and look as if they were trying not to rip every strand of their hair out, most times looking like they weren't trying to strange the living life out of her. She would just laugh about it and carry on, because she doesn't care.

The rest of the ninety minutes she stares ahead into space as Donnie wraps the gauze around her, and asks her some questions about the drugs they injected her with. She tells him that they only injected one drug into her bloodstream and two more, one the color of a dark grey, the other a bright yellow. The side effects lasted for about an hour and she hasn't felt funny ever since. Donnie puts a hands to his chin and narrows his eyes thoughtfully, "Fascinating..." he whispers to himself.

"Okay, so can I _go?"_ Jewel finally snaps, growing increasingly impatient as he scribbles down on his clipboard. "I'm not ungrateful for how big of a help you've been, but I have a life I need to get back to." He looks up at her sharply in surprise and he opens his mouth to answer, until another voice comes to her ears.

"Splinter wants to see you." Jewel and Donnie both turn their heads in Leo's direction in unison. He's leaning against the doorframe of the metal door and has his arms across, a purple bruise blossomed on his jaw. His face is unreadable, "You can decide whether or not you want to stay, if he gives you the okay." he informs her. He gives Donnie one look, and a silent conversation is said through their eyes before he walks away. She whips her head to the genius turtles, apparently, but somehow it made total sense, and she raises one brow in question. A nervous expression flicks through his face, and he smiles anxiously, revealing a gap in his teeth, making him look nerdier and dorkier. All he needed was a fresh set of glasses.

"I'll take you." he offers, setting down his pen and clipboard, and she furrows her brows. People at her old school back in Tokyo used to tell her that she seemed observant, watching everyone with a keen eye, like a hawk, and she was one of the best to read people's expression. She notes the raw tension of his rigid shoulders, the anxious lines forming along his green face, and the way he carefully avoids her question with a diversion. He's not telling her something, and it had to do with this ninjutsu master named Splinter.

Once they're torn out of the lab, he shows her one of the places to go, and there they see Blue Eyes again—the nickname was starting to annoy her, since it sounded more like a cliché—in the same posture except he's standing up straighter, like a soldier. He has on a steely and even expression, and it's calm but it's also hard to read. Donnie tells her to be careful with the bandage , recommending that she should shy away from strenuous activities for a little while.

"So what's in there?" she asks, gesturing to the paper dividers next to the moat with one hand. Leo's face lights up for a second before it goes away just as it'd appears. "That's the dojo Mikey told you about. You wanna see?" he asks her, a hopeful tinge to his voice. She moves her head to one side and crookedly grins at him in mirth and slyness. "I thought you said your 'Master Splinter' wanted to talk to me?" she puts air quotes around Master Splinter, and she hears Donnie stifle a snort, covering it up quickly with a cough. She continues to gaze at Leo as his face reddens a smidge, and he shrugs one shoulder, awkwardly. "I figured you should know what kind of weapons we can wield just in case you decided to retaliate." he tactfully answers, and Jewel nods, "Ah," she says, smirking. Donnie moves ahead of her and up to Leo, taking him by the shoulder and he eyes her once before turning fully to Leo, and both are engaged in a whispered and hushed conversation.

"Don't you think we should tell her?"

"I do. I'm just here in case she freaks out and we have to restrain her."

"I don't think she's gonna freak out, Leo."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure?"

"Well, for one, she didn't freak out over _us—"_

"She called us freaks, Donnie. I think that's worse than screaming our eardrums off."

Jewel frowns as the whispered arguing goes back and forth with folded arms. She lifts a brow and strains her ears to listen until she can't take it anymore. She can take snobby and petty girl gossiping behind her back, talking shit about her. She can take the media talking shit about her, some other models she's made rivals out of, but this was just getting super annoying. With a roll of her eyes, she climbs up the steps that lead into their precious dojo, soaking in the sight of it.

There's a large tree that stands in the center of the dojo, traditional Japanese mats along with a weapons rack, a rice paper screen, and a skylight that basked light on the tree, the lush emerald leaves, and the thick, dark brown trunk. It looks like it's been care and tended to for years. The light has a bluish tint to it, reminding her of the talking tree in the Disney movie, _Pocahontas,_ she used to watch with an old friend. She looks up and somehow it makes the tree look calm and magnificent. She looks more around the dojo, opting instead to not touch anything. She's still a stranger to them and this wasn't her place, so she doesn't think they would take it too kindly if she touched their belongings without permission, and she respects that part. She turns around and spots something that looks akin to a shrine. There are rows of shelves and on one of them, stood a picture. A family portrait, to be exact.

The photo was black and white, like an ancient film from a long time ago, before color was even included back then in the old days. It consisted of three people: all were Japanese, obviously. There was a young woman and her dark hair was tied up into an elegant bun, baring a tradition kimono, along with a man that had a defined facial structure, sharp and hardened, like steel. He had dark hair and thick eyebrows as well, and the way he looked reminded her of her father, in a way. And cradled in the woman's arms was a baby, eyes closed and protectively wrapped around in a thick blanket. She stares at the picture, gazing at it with an unreadable expression. It makes her wonder if that's what her own family portrait would've looked like had her mother lived when she was born. Her father was all she had left, then he had to go and die. But still...she wonders what her mother would be doing in the pictures. Would she be smiling? Laughing? Or no smile at all?

She's so lost in her thoughts that when a voice cuts air through her. It makes her almost jump out of her skin.

"You must be the young girl Leonardo has told me about."

She blinks hard in shock and whirls around, gaining into a defensive stance out of habit, before she freezes in her stance. Standing about four feet away from her, stood a giant rat, with crimson red eyes and a long pink tail sticking out of the robe he was wearing. He held a jade staff in his clawed hand, and two big rat ears twitch on top of his head. And even, to both her astonishment and amazement, as a giant, man-sized rat, he stood with certain grace and authority.

She looks up at him with furrowed brows, disbelieving eyes, "What the hell?" she can't help but say, ignoring her father's scolding voice as he's yelling at her five-year-old self to not swear in front of people older than her. He doesn't comment on her language, and he just looks down at her with a calm and blank expression. She hears a loud noise and next thing, all four turtles come barreling into the dojo, limbs becoming tangled as voices overlap each other. Leo seems to untangle first and rush over to her and the rat.

"Oh, uh, Sensei, this is the girl I told you about." he introduces with a nervous look, and his eyes point to her, "And this is our Sensei, and our father: Splinter." Splinter observes her with a keen, almost suspicious gleam in his eyes. Her eyes jump back and forth between them and all three of the other turtles stare at her. "Your...father." she repeats dumbly, eyeing the large rat. Leo nods, "Yeah," he confirms.

"And your Sensei."

"Yes."

"Does he know that he's a rat?"

"He knows." this time it's Splinter who answers and four pairs of eyes fixate on her and their Sensei and she tires to find her bearings. She debates in her head whether she should shake his hand or bow. It was much more different here than in Tokyo. Back then her father would always tell her to bow and clasp her hands together, a respectful greeting. But people here in American take it different and prefer a handshake rather than a bow. She goes over the options and decides int he click of a clock. She bends down her waist in a respectful bow, _"Hajimemashite."_ she drones in perfect Japanese.

She straightens up and sees a mildly surprised look on Splinter's face, but quick as it'd come, it washes off his face and he grins down at her pleasantly, bowing his head. "Likewise, young lady." he returns, and he claps his hands on the handle of his cane, "I am aware of your recent...troubles."

"Yes, but don't worry, I don't plan on staying."

He hums once, as if in consideration, and, "I trust that you understand the vitality of our home remaining unknown." he replies gravely, "Humans do not take too kindly to our unusual appearance,"

She smirks, humorlessly, "Unusual would be a understatement." she snorts, but the flat smirk falls from her face when she notices the slight wince coming from Leo. "If I may, what exactly are you guys?" she asks in suspicion, because these mutants are just a whole new level for her, and she doesn't trust them. Not fully. "Like...lab accidents or somethin'?"

Master Splinter smiles at her in understanding, and nods once, "It isn't as complicated as one would think, Miss. It is really quite simple, but only if you trust all of us enough to listen, should you decide to stay as Leonardo has made me aware of your recent troubles with the Kraang."

She purses her lips tightly and narrows her eyes into slits, her calculating gaze falling back on the turtles, who are all now gathered around each other and almost behind their father. She looks at each of them, hugging her arms tight, and she catches sight of the intense hesitation in their gazes as they stare at her. They look almost afraid; afraid that she would run out of here and tell somebody about them, and their father's words catches up with her thoughts and what happened tonight. Ashamed was a feeling she never understood, nor something she ever felt. She's confident and she's brutality honest, even if it's cold and mean, but it's what people want, right? Well, she guesses she wouldn't know, since she's not really a people person.

Hesitantly— _what the hell,_ she thinks to herself, _I've done crazier shit_ —she nods slowly, and the rat nods once, taking one hand off the cane and motioning to the large tree. "You may sit if you'd like," he offers her, and she nods again, but it's hardly noticeable, and she looks at the turtles again, three but one looking anxious and unsure, the other one cheerful as she reluctantly sits, folding her legs, letting her hands fall flat on her thighs. The large rat sits across from her, and three of the turtles sit beside him, watching the exchange unfold. The one named Mikey bounds over to her, bravest of the bunch, sits next to her. She snaps her head towards him, raising one brow warily, but he blinks once and smiles at her reassuringly. "I come in peace." he amends, grinning widely.

She stares at him for a moment longer, and the corners of her lips twitches up, and she nods once, turning her eyes back on Splinter. She briefly lets her eyes flicker to the other three, and even though they look dangerous and disgusting, the more she looks at them, the more she isn't disgusted. They haven't harmed her yet, or maybe they were never going to, and one them did catch her midair and she can be grateful for that. Plus, Donnie did treat her wound and she finds that it hasn't bothered her like before, so...maybe she could try not to call them hideous freaks.

Splinter clears his throat as she listens intently as he tells their backstory.

"Fifteen years ago, I was once a human named Hamato Yoshi, trained in the ancient art of ninjutsu. I lived in Japan with my wife and daughter, Tang Shen and little Miwa. However, due to...an unfortunate accident, I fled to New York in search for a new life after I lost my beloved. There, I went into a pet store and purchased four baby turtles—"

"—that was us!"

"Shut up, Mikey!"

Splinter sends Mikey a look of warning, and he shrinks back under his father's gaze, and Jewel watches with something close to amusement. "...as I was saying," he continues, "I purchased four baby turtles, when I came across a strange man on the street. Something felt off about him, so I decided to follow him and investigate. I was led into a dark alleyway, where I saw the man take a large canister with a mysterious glow ooze out of his bag. Unfortunately, I had made my presence known to him and his identical friends, when I stepped on a rat." Jewel stifles a laugh, biting the inside of her cheek instead. "They proceeded to attack me out of fear that I would alert the authorities, and instinctively, I fought back, but I had accidentally caused the canister to smash open and spill its contents upon me and the baby turtles I still held onto. I was transformed into what you see today, but my sons took more a human-like form, and gained minds and behaviors of human children. I couldn't let our presence known to the rest of the world, so I decided to raise these four turtles as my sons, and I passed down my knowledge of ninjutsu and the way of the ninja to them. And soon after, I gave them all names after the great Renaissance Masters of the Arts."

Jewel stays silent for a couple of seconds after he finished, staring with a blank face. She lets this information pass through and saturate her brain, and looks around the room once more. "That's...an interesting story, Master Splinter—and a shit ton of weird."

"I would refrain using such language around your elders, young lady," he gently scolds her, and Jewel can't help but grin faintly, the nostalgia hitting her from behind. "You almost sound like my father." she tells him, trying not to let it show how much it means to her, hearing something only her dad would tell her nicely but also in a strict kind of way. Splinter gives her a warm smile that's kind of touching, "Your father sounds like an intelligent man."

The small smile falters and fades from her lips, and she locks up her jaw, her eyes turning downcast but she tries not to let it show clearly. "He was." she says softly, almost in a whisper. She sees Splinter frowning, but he doesn't say more on the matter, and instead changes the topic before any of the boys could ask. The question that comes out of his mouth catches her off-guard, even when it really doesn't sound much of a surprise, since some of the turtles mentioned it once or twice and she's been adamant on it.

"With the Kraang coming after you for an unknown reason, Leonardo has suggested to me that it would be safer for you if you were to stay with us. Would you like to, Miss?"

She perks up in surprise and her gaze snaps to Leo in a split second. Her mouth is shaped into an 'o' and she's speechless, a rare delight for people who knew her. She honestly thought he would be the least likely turtle to suggest such a thing, especially considering that when he rescued her she just punched him in the jaw and called him a freak. Looking back on it, not exactly her best introduction, but she's never seen a mutant turtle before in her life and she finds turtles boring, preferring predators more, so cut her some slack.

Leo hands his head low and avoids eye contact with her, wringing his hands together and she lifts a brow in amusement, and her eyes travel back to Splinter. She looks at him with a mixture of confusion and incredulously. "You guys want me to...live here? With you?" she clarifies, voice coated unsure and bemused. Splinter chuckles, low in his chest, but it's kinder than a rumbling chuckle she'd grown used by her dad's old friend. "Only if you assure us that you would not tell anyone of our existence. Or if you have a family to go home to?" She pauses at the mention of 'family', because no, she doesn't have a family to go home to. She has a friend, an agent, and a boss to come home to, but it's not she's staying anywhere, specifically.

She rolls her jaw, gnawing her lower lip, because every time she tells _anybody_ this, they would always look at her with _loathsome_ pity in their eyes, and then some would say, _"aw, you poor thing,"_ and she _hates_ that, because it makes them think she's just this sad and lonely girl, but she's perfectly _fine_ with it. She's not sad, or lonely, and she's not depressed. She's indifferent, and she settles for that.

"I...don't have a home to go back to." she admits, her voice low and quiet, and she shrugs one shoulder, "'S just me."

And she proceeds to wait for the _pitying_ eyes, the sad frowns, and the _"aw, you poor thing,"_ and she dares to look at all of them. Leo, Donnie, and Raphael all look at her with frowns on their faces, and she can see out of the corner of her eye that Mikey's the only one looking at her with pity and sadness that seems strange on his freckled features, but he doesn't say anything. And Splinter only nods once, eyes akin to understanding, and, softly, light as a feather, he lays a hand on her shoulder, and she looks at the hand in surprise before back at him, a question behind her eyes.

"You may stay here as you'd like, if you abide to our rules." he says, instead. She nods and manages to plaster a small smile on her face, brushing a stand of hair away. "I might as well, I'm in your debt." she thanks in her own weird way, because she's not used to the whole 'thank you' ordeal so she never thanks anybody. Something sinks in her chest when she remembers how she treated them beforehand, but she lets it slide. She can apologize later for that, maybe give them something instead since she _loathes_ apologizing, the only person she's been able to apologize to without gagging is Gwen, and that's because she makes her.

"So," Mikey pipes up suddenly, and Jewel looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "you can be our friend...right? I mean, we've never really had a human friend before..." his voice is hopeful, maybe with a twinge of fear of her saying the inevitable hell no, that's on the tip of her tongue, but she pushes that away and really looks at him, and then all of them. They all look at her, the same question shining in their eyes. Then at Splinter, and while his expression is stoic with curiosity, she notices that his fingers were twitching nervously, the anxiousness in them as they tap against his thighs. They all look apprehensive about her response to the sudden request, and she doesn't blame them. Because they're mutants, and they don't look like the average people you'd want to be friends with.

"You want me...to be your friend?" she finally drawls, _"Me,_ with my status on the surface, friends with a ninjutsu _rat_ master, and his four _mutant_ ninja turtles..."

The four turtles all share a look of fear, and she realizes that her words were coming out wrong, so she backtracks. "I'm not saying no, it's just I'm not exactly the _easiest_ person to get along with." she shrugs one shoulder, face twisting in confusion, "So why would you want me to be your friend when I called you freaks?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know that, too." Raph suddenly pipes up for the first time since they brought her here, "She called us monsters, Sensei, after Leo saved her from going splat. Why should we even help her?" he asks the question like he's so confused about it and just disgusted with idea of it, and something mildly warm ignites in her chest, but she doesn't make a retort, since it's probably best. Splinter glares at the red masked turtle, disapproval in his expression, "You should not be one to judge another so quickly, Raphael." he reprimands, "You and your brothers should all know how humans can react to your different appearance."

Raph looks like he wants to fight more on the matter, but he closes his mouth with a click, not saying anymore. Jewel can't help but smirk faintly with smug eyes, even though she knows it's best that maybe she shouldn't. But, whatever, she's not unused to pushing people's buttons.

They all look back at her, and she can read the fear and apprehension stiffening them, as if they thought she might laugh in their faces and called them freaks again. Her eyes jump to each and every one of them, gaping at them with a puzzled expression. Their question was innocent as a puppy's eyes, but it meant something to them and especially her answer. A small, reasonable side of her just wants to get the _hell outta there,_ arguing that they're just freaks who are a value to nothing in this world except each other. Pretend like she never met them, and carry on with her life.

But, looking at the hopeful gleam in their eyes, even the curiosity in those vibrant green eyes, waiting for her answer, fearing the response, but the hope that keeps them holding on that maybe she would want to at least try to be their friend. And her gut tightens, constricting her and she licks her teeth, lips closed tightly.

She grins and tilts her head to one side, her expression both satisfied and sly with a pinch of surprise flickering across, and she shrugs one shoulder, "Why not?" she replies coolly, grinning crookedly. They all look taken aback for a moment until their eyes pop out of their sockets. She almost laughs at their reactions, wishing she had a phone on her, while they just gape at her in shock, Mikey looks like he's about to burst into an explosion of confetti and glitter, every happy emoji she could think of. He lunges at her and she doesn't have enough time to react as his strong arms circle around her in a crushing embrace. "YES! You hear that, guys?! We have a human friend!"

"What about April?" Donnie asks, quirking a brow.

Raph scoffed, "Dude, we saved her life. She has to like us now."

Jewel raises both her brows high and cocks her head. "Who's April?" she asks, and her eye twitches when her side jostles from the injury.

"She's someone else we had to rescue from the Kraang." Leo answers, "You guys can meet when she comes over one of these days." Raph rolls his eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure they'd have a blast," he drones the last words, "They could probably gossip and braid each other's hair all night." he says, sarcasm dripping from every words. Jewel pats Mikey's shell awkwardly, seeing that her arms were pinned to her sides, and a sly smirk curves her lips, eyes glossy with mischief. "Yeah, we could also compare what kind of dicks we like to suck on. Y'know, when our cycle sinks."

They all freeze and their faces look a mixture of shock and disgust, and she can feel Mikey stiffen as he continued to crush her. She almost opens her mouth to laugh at the pure horror engraved into their green features, when a withering glare from Splinter shuts her up. She grins sheepishly, "Sorry." she amends, and the rat just shakes his head, probably second guessing his decision about her staying here already. He wouldn't be the first one.

Donnie notices the slight wince pinching her face slightly when she feels a sharp sting on her side. "Mikey, you can't hug her like that," he warns, "I just wrapped it and it still needs to heal after a week or two."

She sees Mikey blink once and, slowly, he pulls away, offering her his apologies. She waves a dismissive hand and waits for the throb to go away. She tucks a lock of hair away with a finger and she sees Leo open his mouth, his question making her pause for a split second.

"Okay, now that we got all of this settled, if you're going to live with us, we need to at least know your name." he says, in what she thinks is being a fair trade. She regards him with a stoic and sly expression, a look she's used to giving to most guys. It's a weird habit William would tell her to break, as she can't afford for any more drama circling around her already hectic life.

She shrugs one shoulder, off-handedly, "Fair enough," she says, "Jewel." she replies, smoothly, "Jewel King."


	4. Turtle Temper

**Okie Dokie! Let's get started!**

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

Leo, Donnie, Mikey, Raph, and I were standing on a rooftop, waiting for the Kraang to show up. Donnie had some sort of telescope with him. I stand next to Leo, arms folded. We've been standing here for almost two hours! I pulled my hair into a ponytail, getting a little bored.

"Anything?" Leo asks Donnie.

"Nothing yet." he replies, looking through the small telescope.

I hear Mikey laughing... probably annoying Raph again. I scoff and roll my eyes. Seriously? On an important mission? Really Mikey...

I hear a slight crack, before Mikey yelps in pain. Leo turns to the two, "Guys, when ninjas are on surveillance, _they are supposed to be silent!"_ Leo harshly whispers clenching his fists. "Sorry Leo, I'll scream quieter." Mikey replies. "How 'bout you don't scream at all." I suggest, shrugging one shoulder. Mikey simply just shrugs, going back to Raph. I hear him laughing again, followed by an annoyed grunt, and then hear Raph flipping Mikey over.

I turn to see Raph pulling Mikey into a headlock.

"Say it." he demands.

"Raph, be quiet!" Leo whispers.

"Not 'til Mikey says it." he argues.

"Raphael is all wise and powerful,"

"And?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way,"

"And?" I roll my eyes skyward, huffing a little.

"And I'm a lonely worm beneath his feet, who isn't fit to live on the same planet as him, because he's so amazing and I'm a dirt clod!"

Raph licks his finger, holds it over Mikey's head threateningly.

"And?!"

"And in the history of the universe there's never been-"

"Okay, enough!" Leo interrupts.

"Boys..." I mutter, shaking my head.

Raph huffs a little, before walking over to us, "Were wasting our time. The Kraang are never gonna show up!" he complains.

"Have a little patience, will you?" Leo responds.

Donnie puts his hands on his hips. "Trust me guys. They're going to break into that lab tonight. I have reliable Intel.

I snort, covering my mouth to keep myself from outright laughing.

"Intel?" You mean, April told you." Raph says, smiling and pointing a finger at Donnie.

"You mean your girlfriend?" Mikey teases. Donnie scowls, and steam comes out of his head. _Oh, good grief..._

"She's not my girlfriend Mikey! She's a girl who's a friend, whose dad got kidnapped by the same aliens who are gonna break into that lab. And we're gonna stop 'em!" he explains, frustrated. We all share a smirk. _Yeah right, Donnie..._

"Or we'll sit out on a cold roof all night, for no good reason." Raph retorts, annoyed.

"Well, then it's a good thing I brought my sweater." I say, pointing to the light blue sweater. Although, I don't really need it, I feel warm all the time, in a good way obviously, especially when I'm really happy, or excited, or really mad...

Suddenly a door opens to reveal an obese, disgusting looking, old man. _Yuck!_

He glared daggers into us, "What the heck's going on up here?!" he yelled, ticked.

The guys and I blink at him. "What are you, playing dress up?" he asks, before looking at me.

"Whoa! Hello Hottie." he says in a flirty tone. "Aren't you that really hot bikini model?" he asks me. **_HOTTIE?!_**

Leo narrows his eyes at him, while the others laugh. I growl at the guy, clenching my fists. I feel something burning all over me, but I ignore it.

"No sir, we were just-" Leo starts, before the guy notices something.

"Which one of you slimy green ham shanks busted my satellite dish?!" he demands, pointing an accusing finger at us.

"Well that was rude and uncalled for!" I exclaim, folding my arms over my chest.

"Ham shanks?!" Raph shouts, looking unhappy. _Uh Oh..._

"Well except for Hottie, of course." he says, clicking his tongue and winking at me. I narrow my eyes.

"She has a name, you know!" Leo defends me. That is so sweet of him.

"Thanks." I say. He winks, and smiles at me a little.

"I don't even know what that means," Donnie replies, scratching his head.

"Me neither, but I don't like it!" Raph says, reaching for his sais. Leo, however, grabs his arm.

"Let's go." he says, walking away, along with the rest of us.

"That's right, you spineless cream puff! Listen to your _mommy_!" the old guy mocks him. Raph turns, pulls out his sais, points one of them at him.

"Hey! Watch it buddy!" he warns.

"Oh no! I didn't know you had _salad tongs_!" he further mocks, much to Raph's growing disdain.

"Salad tongs?! I'm not gonna take this from some greasy, pit-stained, slob, with a comb over!" Raph lunges for him, only for Leo to attempt to hold him back.

"You callin' me ugly? Seen a mirror lately, circus freak?! And what's a pretty girl like her doing with a bunch of freaks like you?"

"HEY!" I yell out. By this point, we were all holding Raph back.

"Raph! Someone's gonna hear us! So would you please let it go, and **_SHUT UP ALREADY_**!" I shout, getting irritated.

"You want a piece of me, freak?" the old guy challenges. I can feel myself burning up, but I choose to ignore it.

"When I'm done, a piece of you is all that's gonna be left!" Raph threatens, fire in his eyes. " _Arg!_ " I struggle, ignoring the sudden smell of smoke near me...

Suddenly, a pink laser shoots past Raph, making us let go of him. I see smoke coming out of my hands. "Huh?"

"Kraangdroids!" Leo exclaims.

"Holy teledo!" the old guy exclaims.

"Way to blow our position, Raph." Leo retorts, everyone unsheathing their weapons... except for me, Splinter hasn't assigned me one, yet.

* * *

 _ **An hour later...**_

" _Raphael!_ Stand up." Sensei orders Raph, who obediently complies.

Not only did _Raph_ , jeopardize our mission, but we were caught on video by the nasty old guy, Raph, was arguing with.

"Somebody's in _trouble_." Mikey teases, angering Raph. I slap my forehead.

We were all in the dojo. I was standing next to Sensei, Raph was in the middle, and the others were in a circle around him, with toilet plunger arrows. I had my arms folded across my chest.

"What, you're not participating?" Raph asks me. "I'm simply observing... plus I have a bad feeling about this exercise." I answer .

"Evade the arrows." Splinter orders.

"No problem."

 _"Hajime!"_

* * *

 ** _2 minutes later..._**

By this point, I'm laughing so hard, I'm surprised I'm still standing upright. Splinter told the others to insult Raph, and he totally _bombed_ dodging the arrows. Raph walks over to us.

"Ninniku seishin is the ability to endure insults with patience and humility. You cannot be a true ninja until you master it." Sensei explains.

Two arrows fall off on both sides of Raph's face, causing Mikey to laugh, making him growl threateningly. "Understood."

 _"Hai, Sensei."_

"You must get that video back. Using reason, not force." Splinter instructs us, Raph specifically. Raph looks down on the floor.

"Hey, Jewel? Is that smoke coming out of you?" Lion Boy asks me.

I look to see that _there is_ smoke coming out of me. "What?" I say, looking at my hands.

* * *

 ** _Another hour later..._**

"Are we really gonna do this without Raph?" Mikey asks. Raphael lost his temper again. The old dude wouldn't give us the video back unless I went out with him, and give him $1,000,000,000. He got captured by the Kraang, and we had to follow the oil trail. _Poor Raph..._

"We can handle it." Leo says.

"I don't know... Just feels like something's missing." he replies. Leo slaps him upside the head, same way Raph usually does. I giggle at this.

"Ow! Thanks."

"Happy to help. Let's go." Lion Boy declares. We enter a building with a bunch of spiders. "Awww!" I coo, admiring the spiders. "You think spiders are cute.?" Lion Boy asks. "Eh, I'm more into tarantulas, but regular spiders are cool too." I answer. He chuckles. I chuckle back, I love his laugh, it's so... contagious.

I hear arguing behind me. Leo and I turn around to find Mikey hitting Donnie repeatedly on the head. He walks up to them.

"Hey!" they pause to look at him, "Shh!" he orders, walking away.

"Really guys? On a mission?" I whisper, before walking back to Lion Boy.

We hide behind a crate, and peek to see the Kraang watching the video, the old man tied to a chair. He kept trying to sell the video to them. "Seriously, just forget about the stupid video already! Geez!" I whisper, the turtles nodding in agreement.

Mikey uses his chain to pull the guy towards us. He turns his head to us.

"We're gonna get you out of here." Leo assured him.

"What about my phone?!"

"Shh!"

"Don't shush me. I ain't leaving here without my phone!"

Unfortunately, the Kraang heard him.

"Stop the one that needs to be stop. Stop!" one orders.

"Remind me why we have to rescue this guy?" Donnie asks

"Yeah, seriously! He just blew our cover!" I exclaim, ticked.

They run out to go fight the Kraang. I looked dejectedly at the floor. I wish I can go help them, but I don't have my weapon yet, and I can't use hand to hand combat. I feel my legs vibrate, and next thing I know, my face is smashed into a wall. "Owww..." I groan. What was that? I feel it happening again, and then, without warning, I'm speeding around the warehouse. I hear a scream, bu I don't have time to reflect on it. All I know is that I see flashes of colors. Am I... Am I running... _really fast_?

I crash into Lion Boy. "Umm, hi." I say awkwardly. "H-Hey." he responds, blushing a little. We hear yelling, and turn to see a big, black and red spider. I help Leo up. "Umm... what did I miss?"

* * *

 ** _A few minutes later..._**

"I know a nice black widow that'd be great for him." Donnie replies. We've just defeated Spider Bytes with the help of Raph. I can't believe it... he actually controlled his temper! I'm impressed.

"Eh, it'd probably reject him for his so-called personality" I point out, earning a laugh.

"Good work, Raph, I just wanna say..." Leo starts.

""You don't have to apologize." Raph insists.

"I... wasn't going to." Leo corrects. I chuckle a bit. Why is it that, Lion Boy, makes me laugh?

"Oh... good."

"Yeah, Raph. Not bad for a bloated buffalo." Mikey laughs, angering Raph again. I whisper something to him, he smirks at me, before tackling Mikey.

"Okay! Raph is all wise and powerful!" he says, arms flailing

"And?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way!"

I cackle, pointing at Mikey.

Hey! I wasn't gonna let Raph have _all_ the fun!

* * *

I walk into the dojo. Master Splinter was meditating under the tree.

"Umm... Master Splinter?"

He opens his eyes, "Yes, Julia?" he asks.

"I was wondering..." I say nervously.

He gives me a warm smile, walking up to me. "Say what is on your mind." He encourages. I smile up at him.

"Well, I was wondering... when do I start my training, and when do I get my weapon?" I ask.

He closes his eyes, and strokes his beard thoughtfully. "To answer your first question, you will train individually with each of my sons. And to answer your second, when you were training with your father, did you already pick out a weapon?" he responds.

I think about it, trying hard not to cry at the memory of my father, and that's when it hits me! I did handle a few weapons back in Japan. But the most I was better at was the...

"The Kama!" I exclaim. "I was practically an expert at the Kama!" I say to Splinter, who chuckles. "Very well, let me go them for you." he says, leaving. A minute later, he walks in with a pair of Kamas. He hands them to me, which I happily take. I sigh contently, feeling the hard, wooden handle. As I hold them, I realize something...

 _I missed this..._

I miss the early morning runs, the heat of excitement I get when I train, the handle of my weapons, wielding them, but most of all... I miss my dad...

"Thank you, Sensei. I love them." I whisper. I try to blink back tears, but one rolls down. I feel a hand on my shoulder, "It is alright to cry. Is this about your father?" he asks me. I nod.

"Yeah, I just miss training with him. When he died, a friend of his, asked if I would want to continue my training with him, but I just... couldn't. So I gave up, and the rest is ... history." I answer, sniffling a little.

"I understand. Losing a loved one can be a very difficult transition, but we must carry on in their memory." he says. "Now please. Show me what you know."He orders, gesturing to my Kamas. I nod, and defensive stance.

I do a few impressive moves with the Kamas, doing a few flips, and when I finish two of the blades face each other.

"Very impressive." Splinter tells me. "Thank you." I say, pleased with myself. "You may go. You will start training with Michelangelo tomorrow." he tells me.

I walk out of the dojo. "Hey guys." I wave to them. They wave back. "Oh! We have a surprise for you!" Mikey says.

"What kind of surprise?"

They gather in a circle, whispering something to each other. I raise my eyebrow. They finally turn around. Lion Boy decides to speak, "Well, we talked to April. And we wanted to give you something special, so..." He gestures to the couch. Mikey grabs a pale pink gift bag, with black polka dots and hands to Lion Boy. He and the others walk up to me. "Here." he offers the bag to me. I take it, and open it up to see...

I start to feel my eyes prickling a little. It's... it's my...

"H-how did you guys get this?" I ask, gently lifting up the stuffed puppy. It was a German Shepard, and it had the most adorable black eyes ever! It was actually a gift from my parents, while my mom was still pregnant with me. I thought I lost it when I was in Russia, for a modeling shoot. I know it's the exact same toy, because it has the same silver heart necklace with Dolly engraved on it.

"Well, after talking to April, Donne said he saw the exact same dog on some online auction. So, we won it for you. Luckily, it was only five bucks." Leo chuckled.

"Thanks guys, I love it."

"Thank Lion Boy over here, it was his idea." Raph tells me. I look at Leo, who blushes a little, giving me a shrug. I give him a hug. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you _so_ much." I whisper. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek, before running to my room. I lay down on the bed, and admire Dolly.

I think I'm starting to warm up to turtles... _especially Leo_ _..._

* * *

 **Well, that's all I have for you! Happy New Years guys! Also, if you have any suggestions, like any OCS you come up with or any scenes you want me to do! Feel free to ask me! Please read and review!**


	5. New Friend, Old Enemy

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the long wait, but I hope this makes up for it. Oh, and before I forget, I got some exciting news at the end! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

The turtles and I were flipping and leaping across rooftops. All of us were laughing and having a good time.

"Check it out!" Donnie exclaims, doing a few flips and finishing off with a mini roll. Mikey went next, flipping across a building and sliding to a stop.

"Top that, turtle and model chops!" Mikey yells out to us. Donnie smirked and gestured for us to give it a go. I put my hand on my hip, pretending to look offended.

"Oh, I _know_ you did not just went to the model thing!" I say, using my other hand to wave my index finger. I turn around, walk a few steps, tumble, and finish with a one arm flip. D and Mikey gape at me, wide eyed. "Wow!" Donnie exclaims. "You weren't kidding when you said you were a gymnastics star." Mikey points out to me. "Yep," I say, turning my head to Raph and LB, "Let's see you top that, kiddies!" I give them a smirk.

Lion Boy smirks back, "Alright, guys." he says, slightly taking a step back. LB fronts flip a few times, stopping on a mid cartwheel. "Whoa..." Mikey gapes. I found myself speechless, I try to say something... but I can't... That was... awesome! Wh can't I say anything? What is going on with me?

"Cute, kiddies." Raph breaks me out of my thoughts. He cracks his neck a bit, runs full speed at us, before... uh oh...

 _ **"AAAAH!"**_ we all scream, befre Hot Head jumps head first at us. _Oww..._

"Hey, what was that? You didn't do any flips." Donnie points out. Raph just smirks at us, "Oops." I narrow my eyes at him. _Oh, I am **so** gonna get him back for that!_

Suddenly, we hear a small crash. We move to it's direction, Leo motions for us to pull out our weapons, ready to fight. We go in for an ambush, only to find... my eyes widen at the sight... a... **_cat!_**

Lion Boy blushes a little, lowering his swords. I continue to glare at the cat, as if my stare could burn it.

"Don't give up, Leo. You just might win this fight." Raph1 teases, I swat him on the shoulder, continuing to glare at the cat.

" _Awww!_ It's a little kitty!" Mikey1 walks over to it, holding it, "Ad it's name is-"

 _"Mittens!"_

"Good guess. Wait, who said that?"

We look to see a guy at his window, calling out, "Mittens?"

"I think that's the owner." Donnie points out. "Cool. Now, get it out of here." I demand, crossing my arms. "You don't like cats?" Lion Boy asks. "Hate 'em." I answer. Mikey shrugs, making his way to the building. Our eyes widens.

"What are you doing?!"

"Whoa, hey!"

"Mikey, wait!"

"Stop!"

The three of us shout out for him to stop. He turns back to us, "What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner." he shrugs, still holding the cat. We all glare at him, "Are you an idiot? Wait... let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!" Raph insults. "You can't show yourself to a human! Well... other than Jewel and April." Donnie points out.

"Why not?"

"'Cause they'll freak the heck out! That's why not!"

"No they won't. I'm not so scary." Mikey reasons, shaking his head.

"You're an ugly, green mutant armed with ninja weapons." Raph retorts.

"Look, this guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular, cat-loving dude like him. Next thing you know, we'll be best buds! This is gonna be awesome!" he explains, jumping down to the window. _This is gonna be bad..._

"Wait!"

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"Mikey!"

Next thing we know, the guy freaks out, cat attacks Mikey, and he falls to a dumpster. We all jump down to glare at him.

"Someone wanna help me with this?" he turns his shell for us to see the cat scratching his shell.

"No." they all reply in unison. I smile sickeningly, "Sure!" I yank the cat off him, jump back to the window, and throw her inside it. I hear yowling and screaming. When I jump back down, the turtles give me a weird look.

"What?"

"Wow... you really don't like cats." Raph says. I scoff.

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

We were ambushed by a few ninjas. Their leader was crazy... and he sounded familiar... One of them tried to get my number. Boy, did I give him a beating. Mikey wouldn't stop yammering about Chris Bradford. I remember that guy... he sponsored a match for my former gymnastics team. He was such a creep! He used to flirt with me and Gwen. April was showing him an online website so that he can be friends with Chris. I was sitting on the couch drawing in my sketchbook. For some reason, I kept drawing lions...

I hear a gasp from Mikey.

"No way! Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship! I have a friend! Thanks, April!" he says hugging her before throwing D's computer in the air, walking away.

"Where you going? Hey!" Donnie exclaims, catching his laptop.

"To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford." Mikey deadpans. "This guy's famous, like Jewel, he probably has a tons of 'friends'." April uses air quotes with her hands.

"And guess who's number 5,286!" Mikey asks, excited.

"You?" she guesses.

"Daniel Ramirez! And I'm right next to him! Later!" he leaves to go "hang" with Chris Bradford.

"Well, this ought to be interesting." Apes replies.

"Ya think?" I say.

"Should we go after him?" Donnie asks.

"Eh, he's gotta learn somehow." Raph answers going back to his push ups.

"Hey, Jewel? I didn't know you were on here." Donnie says. I raise an eyebrow, Raph stops doing push ups and walks over to us. "What?"

We all take a look at the screen. There, we see me, wearing a grey long sleeved zipper slim bodycon dress, that stopped slightly above my knees, black high heeled shoes. The hair between my temples were pinned to the right side of my head, m hair was loose and straight. I had on my signature black cat eyeliner (which is how I always style my eyes), dark red lipstick, grey eye shadow. I had on a devilsh smirk.

"Whoa..." they all breathe out, wide eyed.

"Not bad, princess." Raph says.

"I thought you didn't like those websites." April points out. I sigh.

"I don't, but I guess my agent must've created this. Probably to get me more jobs." I explain.

"Wow, you have... OVER 1,000,000 FOLLOWERS?!" Donnie exclaims.

"WHAT?!" Raph exclaims.

"That's what happens when you're a big time international supermodel."

* * *

 ** _Three Hour Later..._**

We were standing on the other side of the roof, where we got ambushed. D and Lion Boy were talking.

"They must have been watching us from here. The perfect place to stage an ambush."

"It wasn't very fair, was it?"

"It's not about fairness, it's about victory!"

Donnie puts his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry."

Mikes would _**NOT**_ stop talking about hanging out with Chris Bradford. I'm happy for him, even though this seems a little suspicious. I mean, why would a famous mixed martial arts star, who probably trains 24/7, befriend and accept a mutant turtle so quickly? Although, I'm also famous and I accepted the guys just like that. But I've been around Chris, he always used to flirt with me and some of the other gymnasts. I smirk at the memory of my best friend, Gwen, punching him in the face. You know, Gwen kind of reminds me of Raph. They would be a perfect match. But seriously, this is getting annoying.

"And then, Chris Bradford put on his hakama. Man, that guy can rock a hakama!" I roll my eyes, annoyed out of my mind.

"Yeah, maybe he'll wear it again, when he takes you to the prom." Raphael mocks. "Or takes you out skirt shopping." I reply, earning a chuckle from Raph. Mikey, however, ignored us. "And then after that, he-" Raph seemed to have had a enough. "Oh, enough! You've been going on about this for three hours!" he snaps.

"Yeah, Mikey, I'm happy for you, bu I don't think I can take much more of Chris Bradford. We're all getting exhausted." I calmly tell him, careful not to hurt his feelings.

"Ooh, someone looks jealous. You two just can't admit you were the 'R' word!" he accuses. We all give him a look.

"What 'R' word?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Rong?"

D, LB, and I groan softly, slapping our foreheads. "It doesn't start with an 'R'." I mutter.

"We're not wrong." Raph retorts, while I nod.

"Oh, yeah? If you two don't want to talk about my friend," he leaps over to Donnie and Lion Boy, "I've got two other brothers who do." he says, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

"Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else."

"Like the concept of a silent 'W', perhaps?"

Mikey frowns, "Fine. I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else: Chris Bradford." he says, before running off. I feel my nose scrunch up and my right eye twitching.

"If I hear Chris Bradford one more time, I'm going to strangle that little twerp and eat his last slice of pizza right in front of him!" I growl in an animalistic growl, my hands feeling unnaturally warm again.

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

"And then he kicks, twists, and he sweeps the leg! Ha! The Death Dragon!" Mikey describes dramatically. Chris showed him his famous kata!

"That was awesome!" I exclaim, jumping on my toes.

"That was amazing!" Lion Boy exclaims, a adorable sparkle in his eyes... Wait, why would I care about his eyes?

"Yeah, that was devastatingly effective and complex." Donnie replies.

"And yet, even _Mikey_ could learn it." Raph says, leaning against the tree with his arms crossed.

"Thank you." Mikey says, bowing before realizing what Raph had just said, "Hey!" A ding is heard from D's laptop, probably from Chris Bradford. Mikey leaps over to it.

"It RadBrad! That's my little name for him. He wants to get together for a little B-ball. I can't wait to find out what the 'B' stands for!"

"Basketball." I answer.

"Cool!" he replies, getting up to leave.

"You're going now?" LB asks.

"Sorry dudes and dudette, human friend stuff. You know how it is..." he says, disappearing before poking his head back, "Oh wait... no you don't." he taunts, chuckling before he left. I narrow my eyes. Looks like someone forgot I'm a model...

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later..._**

Lion Boy and Raph were practicing the Death Dragon. LB messed up on that last move. "Not quite!"

"Wait, I think I got it!" I see Splinter enter just as LB corrects his move. He makes an abrupt stop and lets out a faint gasp. He has a weird look in his eyes, they're filled with horror and nostalgia, it was as if... he was reliving something...

Suddenly, he gets an angry look. Uh oh. "Where did you learn that?!" he demands, making me flinch a little. Lion Boy helps Raph up. "Mikey learned it from his new friend." he answers.

"The man who taught him that kata is _no_ friend. It comes from the Shredder." I raise an eyebrow. I turn to Lion Boy, "Who's Shredder?" They all give out wary looks. "Tell you later." LB says, before turning back to Splinter, "You mean... Bradford is one of his students?" he asks.

Splinter nods, "He must be." Realization hits me like a sack of rocks. _The ambush, him accepting the friend request, the get together..._ He... he spied on us?! He doesn't care about Mikey. He's just using him! _"I knew it!"_ I growl, clenching my fists, ignoring the burning sensation on them.

"So Bradford is just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to you." Lion Boy realizes.

"Ooh, what a relief! Everything makes sense again!" Raph says, putting a hand on his forehead. His eyes then widen, "Mikey's in trouble!"

* * *

 _ **An Hour Later...**_

"Take 'em down!" Chris orders. We charge for Chris and that Brazilian guy. LB, Raph, and I charge for Chris while D and Mikey charge for the Brazilian guy. Chris grabs both of my hands. I try to pull away, but he keeps his hold strong. He smirks down at me, "Well, well, well... we meet again Jewel. It's been so long, how's Gwen? I can still see you're as gorgeous as ever." He chuckles. I narrow my eyes, _"GET... OFF!"_ I scream, harshly pulling my hand back. He stumbles over a bit. Raph and Leo take him on. I smell smoke all over me again, but I choose to ignore it. We all switch guys, running backwards. I swing my Kama at the Brazilian, giving him a cut on his arm, then I kick his stomach. He doubles over a bit, smirking and chuckling a bit, "I do like a girl who's feisty." he comments, "Are you perhaps... seeing anyone, Hottie?"

My eyes widen in anger. My hands start burning, "EWW! WHY YOU EVEN ASK ME THAT?! YOU ARE A CREEP! JUST LIKE BRADFORD!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I start to swing my fist at him, but... all I see is fire. **_Literal fire! On my hand! There is fire on my HAND! FIRE!_ ** I pull my fist back, looking back at my hand. It's not on fire anymore. Now, there's just smoke coming out of hand. But... there's no damage on it at all. _What just happened._

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later..._**

We've successfully defeated Bradford and the Brazilian guy. We all laugh at Lion's Boy's joke.

"High-three!" Mikey exclaims, holding up his hand in the air. His brothers immediately join in. They all turn to me. "What is it?" I ask, arms crossed.

"Well don't leave us hanging dudette. You're on this team too!" Mikey says, smiling. "Really? I just thought... I was your plus one or something?"

Lion Boy chuckles, makig me smile a bit, "No way, Jewel! You're just as part of this team as we are! We just saw you beat Bradford and that other guy without breaking a sweat!" he explains, smiling. "Yeah, you're an _awesome_ kunoichi!" Donnie exclaims. Raph joins in next, "Not too shabby of a fighter to me, princess."

I smile at them. Lion Boy gestures his hand, I give them all a high three. _Yep, definitely warmed up to the turtles now._

* * *

 ** _Another Few Minutes Later..._**

"Unfriend. Ha ha ha. Revenge." Mikey says, unfriending Chris Bradford. I chuckle a bit, shaking my head. "Not exactly a great way of getting even. But hey... it works for you, M." I say, reading a magazine. "Thanks, Jewel!"

I put my magazine down and walk into the dojo. "Sensei?" Splinter turns to me, "Yes, Julia?" he asks. "Umm, look, I need to know. Who exactly is the Shredder?" I ask. He closes his eyes for a second, "Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called, was a very close friend of mine. We were like brothers, competing for many things, as brothers do. But then, we both met a beautiful woman, Tang Shen. We both were enchanted with her, constantly competing for her affections. But, her heart only belonged to me, making Saki jealous, fueled with rage. Shen and I had a beautiful child together, we called her, Miwa. One night, Shreder attacked our home, burning it into a crisp, a blow meant for me struck Shen instead. I lost everything that day: My wife, my friend... my daughter. Shredder blamed me for everything, leaving me to my fate." he explains.

I just stand there, too shocked to say anything. "Whoa... that's... that's... I'm... sorry you had to go through that." I say, giving a look of understanding. "I know what it's like to lose the two most important people in your life." Splinter smiles warmly, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Thank you, Julia. If you would ever need to consult to anyone, know that I am at your service." he says. I nod.

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

 _"Please?"_

 _"No, Mikey."_

 _"Please?!"_

 _"No."_

 _"Pretty please with a cherry top?!_

 _"No!"_

 _"Pretty please with a triple double-"_

 _"Oh, just show us, already!"_

 _"Fine!"_

Mikey was practically begging me to show them my portfolio. I didn't really want to, but... why not? They're a part of my life now and should get to know a little more about me.

I walked into my room and looked around for it. I pull it from under my bed. It's a large black book with my name engraved on it in a hot sparkling pink color. I walk back to the lair, where the guys sit on the couch. I sit next to LB. I open up the book and show them a picture. Stuck in the front is a close up photo of a girl with long, glossy black hair with a few pink and blue streaks in her hair. Her hair is styled in a high ponytail with a small puff style on top. Her lips are a reddish pink, her coffee brown skin was glowing, her eyes were the royalest of blue. Her eyes are wide, distracted, sparkling, and lit up from the inside.

I flip the page a minute later. There's a photo of raven girl standing in the middle of a lobby, her hair wavy at the top, then a barrel of curls at the bottom. Waist length, and slightly side parted a little, covering a bit of her left eye. She's wearing a sleeveless black velvet turtle neck, a dark red above knee mini pencil skirt with black leather high heeled knee boots. She has her hands on her hips, legs crissed-crossed, chin slightly down, giving a bored expression.

On another page, the girl is in a glass box, hair straight and middle parted. She's in a pale blue A-line strappy dress with ruffles at the end and wearing sparkling silver strappy wedges. On the next page is the same photo of the girl again, jumping in the air with another girl with blonde hair and light blue eyes, her hair is combed back, all of it black, blue, and pink, sporting a wavy ponytail, she's wear a long sleeved floral turtle necked mini dress and black strappy sandals with heels, her eyes are bright, arms are spread out, and she looks like the happiest girl in the world. Th girl next to her has black leggings and a faux fur jacket and her cheeks are flushed and her feet are bare.

The final page we see three teenage girls. The one on the left has bleached blonde hair with green eyes, wearing a hot pink cocktail dress and dark green heels and her hair is down, the one on the right has blonde wavy hair with a few streaks of brown and emerald green eyes, she's wearing a medium pink long sleeved dress styled in a pencil skirt and sharp shoulders and black heels, her hair is styled in bow and blonde and brown bangs and her skin is lightly tanned, the girl in the middle has raven black hair with pink and blue tiger striped streaks from top to bottom, she's wearing an A-line summer mini dress with a long V-neck and two extremely skinny straps and dark grey strapped heels, her hair is wavy, side parted a little, where you can only see half of her right eye, her head is tilted upwards and giving off a sexy smirk.

I close the book, turning back to the guys, "So... what'd you think?" I ask. All of them are staring off into space, mouth slightly parted. "Woww..." they all breathed out. I giggle a little. "You... you were... stunning." Lion Boy tells me, smiling, I smile back. "Yeah, you really looked great." Donnie says, "You nailed it!" Mikey exclaims.

"Nailed what?" A new voice asks. We all turn to see Splinter. "Sensei! You gotta see Jewel's pictures! They awesome!" Mikey says. I hand him the book and he turns to see the pages. He smiles at me, "You looked lovely, Julia." he tells me. "Thank you, Sensei." I turn back to Lion Boy and smile at him.

"Who are the three girls?" Raph asks.

"The one with just me and her is Gwen, my best friend. She really isn't into modeling that much. It was only for six months... and she was on my gymnastics team." I answer.

"What about the other two girls. Were they your friends too?" Donnie asks. I shake my head.

"That one with the bleached blonde is Lily, she's more of a colleague, the one with the brown and blonde hair is Amy, we didn't get along, though."

"How come?" LB asks.

"We kind of fought over who would walk down the runway with a guy dressing like Captain Ryan. We let him choose and he picked me. We then competed over everything."

"You know about Captain Ryan?" Leo asks me, eyes twinkling.

"He's only the second best leader of his crew of all time! Space Heroes is my favorite show!" I exclaim.

"M-me too!" After that, we start to geek out over the show. Okay, did this boy suddenly get even more cuter?!

* * *

 ** _A Few Hours Later..._**

I wake up to hear grunting. What the? I blink a few times, I find myself sitting on the couch, a light pink blanket is laid out in front of me. I hear metal swinging and more grunting. Must be coming from the dojo. I silently walk to the dojo, carefully sliding the door open. I find to see Leo with his katana raised, and he swings it down to his invisible opponent. Sweat dripped down his forehead, arms, and legs. From the light, he was glowing a little. Exhausted breaths came out of him, but he continued on. He performed several katas, blows swift and steady. I was like a dance routine, a breathtaking performance.

He paused, and I found the perfect opportunity. I clapped, gaining his attention. He tenses a bit before turning around to look at me. He blushes a bit, smiling sheepishly. I send him a playful smirk. "Oh, don't stop because of me. I was actually enjoying the show."

"H-hi Jewel." he greets me, looking down nervously at the floor.

"What're you doing up so late?" I ask him.

"I like to have late night training, that all. I know it's stupid but-"

"It's not." I stop him, shaking my head.

"It's not?"

"Of course. You just love to train. I do too."

He smiles warmly at me for a few minutes, and I smile back.

"Okay, why don't you go back to your training so I can watch you. It's more than impressive."

"Alright."

He continues on with his katas, moving gracefully, like a crane. _Wow..._ he's... incredible. Memorizing, actually. I just stare at his toned muscles, his ocean blue eyes, the way he perfects his katas... You know, at times I think he's awkward and uptight, but at the same time... he's courageous, adorable, and perfectly skilled. He looks over to me.

"Wanna spar a little?"

I give him a wide smile, "I thought you'd never ask." I grab my Kamas, getting into a defensive stance. We charge at each other after a few seconds. Metal sang in the air, giving off swift and hard blows. At one point, we both charge real hard, our forces end up being _really_ close to each other. Our faces are centimeters apart. And that's it, we stare into our crystal blue orbs, getting lost into them. A few minutes later, w back away a little.

"So..." he says, blushing.

"So..." I mimic.

"Guess we should call it a night?" he suggests.

I nod rapidly, "Yeah! Real tired! G'night Lion Boy!" I say _very_ quickly, running to my room. I slide down the door, grabbing Dolly, and holding her close to my chest.

 _What the heck just happened?!_

* * *

 **And there you go! Sorry it took so long. And I have good news and bad news. Bad news: This'll be on a hiatus. I'll still be writing all of episodes but I will be typing when I'm done with all of them. Good news: I will be making a few drabbles! They can be based on anything you'd like. Song, movie scene, anything! Just suggest! They'll be at a random time. Bye!**


	6. I Think His Name Is Baxter Stockman

**Hello my peeps! I'm back and you know it! This was SUPER stressful but worth it! I'm introducing another OC of mine! Her name is... Nicole Roberts.**

 **Complexion: Tanned**

 **Hair Color: Dark Brown**

 **Eye Color: Brown**

 **Clothing: Baby blue halter top, pastel green skirt, sparkly silver heels**

 **Personality: Bubbly, perky, fashionista, slightly insecure, timid, jumpy**

 **Hairstyle: Loose and flowing, wavy, and sometimes in a bun, stops above her waist**

 **Makeup: Pink gloss, purple eyeshadow, black mascara and eyeliner**

 **History: She's a model like Jewel, her parents are divorced, she lives with her grandma and goes to April's school**

 **Nicole doesn't meet the turtles until season 2, she only has two appearances in season 1.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

I was in my room, drawing in my sketchbook and eating a few strawberries. I was trying to block out that night with Lion Boy. I didn't want to think about it. It was too... I don't know... All I know is, I don't want to think about it. I mean yes, maybe I wanted something to happen. But Lion Boy's my friend. I can't have feelings for him, I just can't. _But maybe I want to..._

 _"What is going on in here?!"_ I jump at the sound of Sensei's voice.

 _"Sensei!"_ I hear Lion Boy exclaim.

 ** _"WHOA!"_** I hear a skateboard and a loud crash, followed by a few groans. I shrug, going back to my drawing. _Must be another one of Mikey's antics._ I frown at the drawing. On it is a big, ferocious lion roaring in the rain. **_UGH!_** _Why on earth, do I keep on drawing lions?!_ This is _NOT_ a sign that I like Lion Boy! I _**DON'T!**_ At least... _I don't think I do..._

I mean, sure! What's not to like? He's sweet, caring, funny, disciplined, courageous, and kind of adorable. What girl doesn't want a guy like that? I like hanging out with him more and I admire his dedication to ninjitsu, and that he takes his role of a leader responsibly. But... that... that doesn't mean I like him. Does it?

 ** _CRASH!_**

I flinch at the sound, startled out of my thoughts.

 _What the heck was that?_

* * *

Raph paces in front of the couch, groaning _very_ loudly. I roll my eyes. Donnie told me they were grounded for a week because of some skateboard stunt Mikey pulled. Raph groans again, _"Seriously,"_ I snap, annoyed, "Could you groan any louder?" Raph stops mid-pace and turns his head to glare at me for a few seconds and goes back to his pacing.

" _Gah!_ This _bites!_ " he exclaims, throwing his arms out in exasperation, "I can't believe we're stuck down for a whole _week!_ " I scoff at this.

"Well it's your own fault for letting Mikey talk you into that. And besides, you waited fifteen years to go topside, I'm sure you can wait a whole week." I reason with him. He just rolls his eyes. _Baby..._

Donnie runs out of his lab, holding some device, "Guys, guys! You wanna see what I made?!" he asks us enthusiastically. Raph turns back to Lion Boy and me, " _This_ is how bored I am. Yes, Donnie. I do." he says, his voice lacing with sarcasm. Donnie, however, doesn't seem to notice, "Ok, ok, ok. Remember the other day I was scrounging in that military junkyard?"

"No."

"There's a military junkyard?"

"Well, I found an incredibly advanced A.I. microchip, made from, get this! Self assembled chain linked copolymers!"

"That's my favorite kind of copolymer!" Mikey exclaims. I roll my eyes. _He doesn't even know what that is..._

Donnie nods, "Mine too! And I used it to make this!" He shows us a circular device, with a person shaped design glowing in a light neon blue color.

"The most advanced music player in the world!"

"Whoa..." his brothers breathe out in awe, I, however, tense at the color. It reminded me of my moment with LB, which I am NOT thinking about, thank you very much! It's not that I have a problem with Lion Boy, he's great, but... I don't wanna ruin our friendship... or maybe... _I'm afraid to like him..._

"So who wants to try it?" Donnie asks, shaking me out of my thoughts. "I do! Pass me the T-Pod!" Mikey volunteers, holding out his hand. I raise an eyebrow. T-Pod?

"The T-Pod?" Donnie asks, raising a nonexistent brow.

"Turtle. Pod. T-Pod. I am _so_ good at naming stuff." he explains, I shake my head and roll my eyes skyward.

"Isn't that kind of obvious?" I ask, making Mikey pout a little before D tosses the T-Pod to him. He plugs in the headphones.

"You're really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology _directly_ into Mikey's head? What if it melts his brain?!" Raph asks.

"It won't. Ad even if it did who'd know the difference?" Donnie says, waving a hand.

Mikey presses play and immediately starts screaming, falling to his knees. I stifle a snort.

"What?! What's wrong?!" Donnie asks, worried.

"It's polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!" he begs, shaking his head wildly.

Donnie walks up to him with a deadpan look on his face, and he switches the song for him. I snicker at this, "Thanks." Mikey replies, no longer screaming. His eyes go wide for a second, then he starts to dance.

We all just stare at him with a weird expression. Raph looks like he's done with this.

"That's it! I gotta get out of here!" he says, walking away, Lion Boy following him. "Where are you going? We're grounded." he reminds him.

"I'm not." I say, smirking.

"I don't care. I gotta do something or I'm gonna go nuts!" Raph retorts, flipping his skateboard with his foot before catching it. "Let's find a skate spot!"

"Skate spot?! I'm totally in!" Mikey shouts, pumping his fist in the air.

"But what's Splinter gonna say?" Lion Boy retorts.

"I don't know what's going on, because they snuck out while I was asleep." Raph says in a Splinter-like voice. I laugh at this, "That was... scarily good." I comment.

"Heh. Real mature. But I'm your leader. And as your leader, I say nobody's going." LB says, crossing his arms firmly.

"Well, as your followers, we're going anyway." D and Mikey stand beside Raph. I give him a cold hard glare, crossing my arms.

"Well... as your leader... I am going with you, to lead you, away... from bad... stuff." he trails off. I stifle a snort. Why does Lion Boy has to be so CUTE and AWKWARD?!

"You coming, Jewel?" he asks me.

"I would, but I'm going to the movies with a friend. I'm not grounded and Splinter said it's okay, so..." I answer, grabbing my sweater and purse.

Mikey screams again, holding his head and falling to his knees.

"What's wrong?!" Lion Boy asks, concerned.

"It's back to polka! We've got to get some more tunes on this!" he complains.

I slap my forehead, "Seriously, Mikey?"

* * *

While the turtles were out skateboarding, I went to go meet up with a friend. I see her waiting for me at the entrance. When she sees me, she squeals in excitement, and runs towards me, tackling me into a giant bear hug.

"EEEP! Jewel! I am so excited that you're here! Omg! I _love_ your outfit! So chic!" she yells, smiling.

"Thanks." Instead of my usual attire, I'm wearing a white spaghetti strap floral chiffon cami top, with a denim black shrunken jean jacket that stopped at my belly bottom, my regular black mini skirt and fishnet tights, and black strappy sandals with heels. I'm wearing two regular black fingerless gloves.

"Omg! I love your hair!" she exclaims. My hair is wavy at the top, curly at the bottom, it's also slightly side parted.

"Thanks. I also love your outfit." I say, gesturing to hers. She's wearing a purple tank top and a blue high low skirt with red heels. Her hair is styled in a bow.

"So what've you been up to?" Nicole asks me.

"Nothing much. Just been... chilling." I shrug one shoulder. We hear whistling. We turn to see a couple of guys staring at us and giving off smirks. Both of us roll our eyes and shake our heads.

 _This is gonna be a long night..._

"I loved that movie! Didn't you love that movie?! 'Cause that movie was so awesome!" Nicole exclaims. I chuckle a little, "Yep."

We stay quiet for a few seconds, "So... what's his name?" She asks me. I raise my eyebrow, "What?!" I exclaim, staring at her like she grew another head. She laughs, "Oh, come on, Julie. You barely paid attention to the movie and your shoulders kept tensing at the romantic scenes. Something's bothering you and it's about a guy." she explains to me. I start to blush a little, before sighing in defeat,"Okay. I might have a crush on this one guy. But I don't really know if I like him." I answer. "What's his name?" she asks. I look down.

"Leo. But I call him Lion Boy."

"Why?"

"'Cause his name means 'strong as a lion' and it suits him."

"Okay... do you think about him a lot?"

"Yeah."

"Is he cute?"

"In my opinion, yes. Adorable, actually."

"Does your heart beat around him?"

"Hmmm... sometimes."

"Well... then you're not sure yet. You'll know when you start to feel even more different around him. Like... if another girl flirts with him and he starts to pay more attention to her, you'll feel jealous. Or if he's the only guy that can make you giggle all the time." she explains to. I look at her in disbelief, "Thanks."

She shrugs one shoulder, "Anytime."

* * *

 ** _A Few Hours Later..._**

Splinter and I watch the turtles train. Well... barely. They seem really tired and unfocused.

"Knees higher, Leonardo! Extend, Michelangelo! Raphael, you call that a _Koho Tenkai?!_ Because I do not!"

 ** _"WAAH!"_** Donnie screams, falling to the floor. I stifle a snort at that.

 _"Yame!"_ Splinter leaps over to the turtles, who stand on one knee in a straight order. Splinter stands in front of them.

"Hmm. Is there something you want to tell me?" he asks.

"Something we _wanna_ tell you? Nope." Mikey answers. I roll my eyes, "Like that would work!" I mutter under my breath.

"You all seem tired."

"We're not!"

"Wide awake!"

"Fresh as daisies!"

Mikey yawns and falls to the floor. I chuckle at that.

 _They probably got home late._

"So you would not object to a little," he pulls out a long wooden stick, _"Randori!"_

They all exchange nervous glances, Lion Boy looks over to me with pleading eyes. My expression softens, giving him an apologetic smile. He swings the stick at them, al of them groaning on the floor. I cringe a little.

"Well I hope you have learned, turtles, that truth isn't the only thing that hurts."

I outright bark a laugh at that.

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later.._**

Lion Boy and I were watching Space Heroes. He was reciting a Captain Ryan line. I giggle at that, "You recite Captain Ryan's lines?" I ask, raising a sly brow. He starts to blush, "Umm, s-sometimes."" he stutters, blushing even harder. I giggle harder, "That's so cute... and stupid at the same time." I comment. He smiles and blushes at the same time. _Gosh that's adorable..._

"Seen this enough times there, chief?" Raph retorts, reading a magazine.

"Would you, _shh!_ This is the best part!"

A news report interrupts the show, "Aww!" Lion Boy complains, I giggle lightly while putting a hand on his shoulder.

 _Okay, maybe I do like him..._

* * *

 ** _A Few Hours Later..._**

"Sounds good to me." Raph charges for Baxter. Apparently, while I was at the movies, the turtles ran into some trouble with Baxter and threw him into a dumpster! Mikey stupidly dropped his T-Pod during the fight and Baxter somehow found it and used it to upgrade his armor.

Stockman whirls his arm and uses it to send Raph across the floor. D, Mikey, LB, and I charge for him, he extends both of his arms and knocks us into a wall. I fall into a huge crumble of bricks. _Owwww..._

I sit up, rubbing my head a little, "Ouch!" I mutter, rubbing my temple. I stand up, still a little dizzy, and look up to see some robotic head on Lion Boy's. He runs around a bit, screaming for help and trying to pull it off. I giggle a little. It is quite amusing. I go to help him, until... my eyes widen.

 _Lasers are coming out of the robotic head!_

 _ **"LASERS!"**_ I hear Donnie screech. Suddenly, Lion Boy runs towards us, getting electrocuted. Raph, Don, and I run, the lasers zapping at us while we're screaming. I start to feel a weird vibration on my legs. I look down to see what's wrong, only to be stopped by me zooming through the whole warehouse. I see a blur of colors, screaming.

 ** _WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!_**

This... this feels like I'm on a rollercoaster, a _really fast_ rollercoaster!

"JEWEL?!" I hear Lion Boy scream.

 ** _"I CAN'T STOP!"_**

"Is she... running... _really fast?!_ " I hear Raph ask. I'm starting to get a little dizzy again... and a little chilly.

 ** _"DO SOMETHING!"_** I shriek, freaking out. _How is this even possible?!_

All I know is that I want it to stop, _this was really freaking me out!_

Suddenly, as if my prayers have been answered, I make an abrupt stop, slamming my face into a building. _"Ouch!"_ I exclaim, rubbing my cheek. _Well that's gonna leave a bruise..._ I get up from the ground, observing my surroundings. I look for the guys, but it's no use. The warehouse is probably empty since I don't hear anything. I sigh dejectedly, maybe they went to go look for me. I notice an odd feeling around my left wrist. My eyes widen and I let out a horrified gasp. _My bracelet! My mother's charm bracelet!_ My father gave it to me when I was three. It's gold and it has baby pink charms: A puppy, tulip, sketchbook, wolf, and a strawberry. It's all I have left of her, _I can't lose it now!_

Out of the corner of my eye, I see something sparkling under a red car. _My bracelet!_ I smile with glee and bend to retrieve it. I stretch my arm over to grab it, but it's too far for me to grab. I try a few angles, only to end in failure. I feel my eyes starting to prickle, but I blink it away. I get an idea, one that probably won't work, ad attempt to lift up the car. I get ready for the plan to fail... _except the car is over my head... and I am lifting it up with ease..._

I don't have time to ponder on this, because I grab the bracelet with my other arm, and gently place the car back on the ground. "Okay... that just happened." I say to myself, carefully securing the bracelet back on my wrist.

 _"Jewel!"_ I hear Lion Boy shout, I turn to see the guys running towards me, concerned expressions staring at me.

"Are you okay?" he asks me in a gentle tone. I study his appearance, he had a bunch of bruises, along with the others, and a little singed at the edges of his arms, feet, and face.

"I'm fine." I choke out, still a riled up on that... experience.

He gives me an unsure look, before smiling weakly at me. I gently touch his forehead, almost hot to the touch thanks to him getting electrocuted.

* * *

 _ **Another Hour Later...**_

After I fixed up Lion Boy and the others, (Luckily, I just had a light bruise on the right side of my face), we tell Splinter everything. Including my... discovery... I even tell everyone about me lifting up the car without any difficulty. While Lion Boy, Mikey, and Raph wait at the entrance. Donnie was analyzing me in his lab.

"Hmmm." he mutters, looking through his lens. I cross my arms, "Well?" I ask, biting my lower lip.

"I've never seen anything like it before, but... I did some study on the muscles of your legs and arms. And... they're not exactly... bones." he tells me.

"What?"

"Your muscles are literally made of steel, and the molecules on your legs are moving in an extremely rapid motion." he explains. My eyes are starting to bulge.

"B-but that means..."

"Jewel... you have super strength... and super speed." he calmly tells me.

"I-I..." I trail off, speechless.

 _Oh. My. Gosh._

* * *

Donnie told the others about my powers. All of them were excited for me. I forced on a smile, but my eyes said another story but just for a second. The only one who wasn't oblivious to it was Lion Boy. He gave me a comforting smile, making me smile back. Something unspoken passes between us, I'm just not sure yet.

We were waiting on the rooftops for Mikey.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Donnie asks uncertainly. I raise my hand a little, "Yeah, I have a few concerns myself."

Lion Boy gives us a comforting smile, "Like Sensei sais, 'don't fight the armor, fight the guy inside' and one thing we know about bad guys... they _love_ chasing Mikey." he explains to us.

"GUYS!" Mikey shouts, running towards us, "Stockmanpod's got **_MISSILES!_** "

My eyes widen and my jaw drops when a dozen missiles hurdles towards us. We all duck out of the way, but not before I say, **_"THAT IS A NEW LOW! EVEN FOR YOU, YA AFRO, SCRAWNY WIMP!"_**

* * *

 _ **Three Minutes Later...**_

"Any last words?" he asks, cornering us on the edge of the building. We all give him a death glare, "Just one: Bees!" Lion Boy exclaims, I give a triumphant smirk, knowing what's about to happen.

"Bees?"

 ** _"BEES!"_** Mikey shouts, throwing a beehive at Baxter, who screams in terror.

"The T-Pod!" Lion Boy exclaims.

Mikey lands a hit on him with his nunchucks, Raph with his sais, Donnie with his bo-staff, me with my kamas, then Lion Boy with his katanas.

Stockmanpod looses his balance and falls off the edge of the building. W look to find his body on another building, still squirming. Lion Boy towers over him, pointing his sword at him, then to the T-Pod, before stabbing it. A big red light flashes, turning off the suit. He climbs out of it,looking at us nervously, "So... we'll call it a tie?" he asks, scratching his neck sheepishly. Hs face was swollen with bee stings. I chuckle evilly, knowing what's about to happen.

"Jewel, Raph... wanna call it a tie?" Lion Boy asks, smirking.

Raph and I look at each other with the same idea pulling on our minds, he cracks his knuckles, "Not yet." I cross my arms, "Mmmm... Un-uh." I say, shaking my head.

We all give Baxter a smirk.

 _This is gonna be good..._

* * *

 _"NOO!"_ Baxter shrieks, Raph throwing him to the dumpster.

" _Now_ it's a tie." Raph says, about to close the lid.

 _"Wait!"_

The turtles all look at me in confusion, I smirk at them, leaning towards Baxter, who smiles at me a little.

 _"MWAH!"_ I give him a quick peck on the lips. I see him smile dreamily, blushing and hovering his hand over his mouth, before I close the lid.

The guys look at me in shock, Lion Boy's jaw dropping. I throw my head back and cackle, "What? I feel bad for the guy." I say, shrugging one shoulder.

We all high three each other and whoop.

* * *

"You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockmanpod. I am proud of you all." he tells us, m giving him a wide grin.

"Does this mean we're not grounded anymore?" Lion Boy asks, making me roll my eyes.

"Yes."

They wide tooth smile, I walk over to the tree.

"But first... _Randori!_ " he exclaims, holding the wooden stick. The turtles all run and scream in terror. I cackle at them. Sensei already told me he was gonna do that.

 _Boys will be boys..._

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

I was in the dojo training with Mikey. He was showing me how to handle the nunchucks. I spin it around a bit.

"Like this?"

Mikey nods, "You're _nailing_ it, dudette!"

I chuckle a bit, "Why thank you, Michelangelo."

"Wanna spar to spar now?" he asks.

I nod, "Oh, you know it!"

We fight with our weapons. I kick him in the gut, but he rolls back. He tries to kick me in the side, but I dodge with my kama.

I back flip a few times, landing a hit on his. Finally, I punch him straight in the face, making him fall backwards, landing with a _thud._

 _"Oof!"_

I put a hand on my hips, smirking, "How was that?"

He gives me a weak thumbs up, "Nice one, dudette." he breathes out in pain, making me chuckle a bit. I help him up, "Thank for the lesson... and the unnecessary catchphrase options." I say.

"No problem, dudette. That's how I roll up in this joint! You liked them, right?"

I shake my head and roll my eyes, "Goodbye, Michelangelo." I say, walking out.

I accidentally bump into- you guessed it- Lion Boy.

"Sorry, Jewel." he mumbles, rubbing his eyes, giving me a weak smile.

I giggle a little, "It's cool.", I say, smiling sweetly at him, "You were astonishingly awesome tonight." I tell him.

He blushes a little, smiling like an idiot, "Th-thanks. You w-weren't so bad y-yourself." he tells me, extending his hands towards me...

 ** _I'm holding Leo's hand._**

 ** _I'm actually holding Leo's hand._**

It's only for a second, but still...

 _Nobody made him do it. He did it for free..._

Okay, yes I know it's stupid, but... obviously I've held a boy's hand before. But those were just boys I've went out with who didn't really mean that much to me. I only went out with them because I felt sorry for them... and my agent, William, said it would be great for my publicity. Although, their hands were sweaty and damp.

But Lion Boy's... it's warm and soft.

I try to think about other things. Like the fight, training with Mikey, or my new powers, and... and... no.

That's all I think about for those brief seconds. Th fact that Leo is holding my hand and I've never had my hand held by a boy with soft comforting hands.

I think about Lion Boy's hand.

I think about _Leo's_ hand.

* * *

 **Woohoo! I DID it! I know this is _supposed_ to be on a hiatus... but I couldn't help myself! I'm a GEEK! Please read and review. Also... PLEASE make suggestions for my drabbles. I'm on a writer's block and I need your help! It can be anything you want, just... suggest! Bye!**


	7. Metalhead

**Hey guys! Sorry if I haven't been updating lately, bu now I am and I am very glad I'm done! Here is your new chapter! And hint: There will be a new girl in this episode. Also, Jewel has a new wardrobe for the rest of the season... explained in the beginning.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

I grabbed my purse and headed for the entrance. I was wearing my new and permanent outfit. A cropped, black leather jacket, black skinny jeans, black ankle boots with wedges, a baby pink, backless, spaghetti strapped, square neck halter top, regular black fingerless gloves, ad skinny silver chains wrapped around my waist. I painted my nails black, pink, and purple. My hair and makeup was still the same, though. The hair between my temples pinned to the back and same mascara and eyeliner and shadow, same color as always, and my black choker too.

"Bye guys!" I said to the others.

"Where are you going?" Lion Boy asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm meeting my old friend, Gwen." I answer. I see Splinter walk in, "Julia, a moment please." he says, gesturing me to the dojo. I nod.

 _"Hai, Sensei?"_ I say automatically, kneeling on one knee.

"How would you feel about wielding a new weapon?" he asks.

I raise an eyebrow, "Like what?" I ask.

"A tanto blade. You have improved in your skills and I think you are ready for a new weapon, as it is a tradition for a kunoichi." he explains .

"Actually, I'd love to. My father already gave me one and told me to keep it until I think I'm ready for it." I answer.

"Very well. May I see it?"

I quickly run to my room to show him the sword.

He studies it. It was sharp and it had a dark pink handle.

I wield the sword and do a few tricks with it.

Five minutes later, I'm excused and I decide to super speed to the cafe.

I see Gwen waiting for me at the entrance. I jog over to her.

"Hey!" I say, she wraps me into a hug.

"Hey, Jewel!" she says. She studies my outfit.

"New look?" she asks, raising a brow.

I nod, "Yep!

After ten minutes of catching up, she asks, "So, have you gotten a call from William?" I shake my head.

"No, not for a few wee-" I'm interrupted by my ringtone. I answer it, "Hello?"

"Hello to you too, my precious baby wolf!" I hear William's british voice squeak.

I roll my eyes and mouth "agent" to Gwen, who smirks.

"Good to hear from you, William. What is it? A new gig?"

"Positutely, my baby pup! Lucy Leal wants to meet with you in two days! You have a big photoshoot for the cover of Kaylee!" he exclaims.

Normally, I'd decline... but, unfortunately I'm under a contract. "Tell he I'll be there." I grumble, hanging up.

Gwen raises an eyebrow, I shrug, "Photoshoot."

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

We were fighting a bunch of Kraangdroids in an old abandoned warehouse. I had to block a shot with my blade.

"Keep going! Don't let them surround you! Failure is _not_ an option!" Lion Boy orders.

"Technically, failure is _always_ an option." Donnie corrects.

"You know what else is an option? Slapping you!" Raphael retorts.

I scoff, "Huh, that's real interesting, _Raphie._ You know, I feel like slapping someone else too: You!" I shout.

I toss my tanto at a Kraang, decapitating a bunch of their heads. It swings back to me and I run up to another droid. I front flip, wrap my legs around its shoulders, an push myself to knock it down to the ground. I hear a bunch of beeping sounds behind me. I turn to see four droids aiming their guns at me. I narrow my eyes, smirking. I super speed in a circle around them. They turned their heads in confusion. I wave their guns in front of them, "Looking for something?" I ask, smirking at them tauntingly.

"Kraang, the present is being a positive to be the testing of the energy cannon. Also... the one known as Hottie is quite terrifying to Kraang." I narrow my eyes at the nickname.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" Lion Boy orders. I drop the guns and position my tanto. The cannon starts to fire up, "Huh... how unfortunate." I reply, shrugging one shoulder.

"On second thought, **_RUN!_** "

I back flip to prevent a blow from the cannon.

 ** _"Oh, come on!"_** I hear Donnie yell.

"Dude, your weapon just exploded!" Mikey replies, pointing to his staff.

I bark a laugh, pointing at the staff, "Your weapon..." I kept laughing, "Your weapon just exploded! Why is that funny?!" I cackle, starting to smell smoke again.

"How am I supposed to fight advanced, alien technology, **_with a stupid stick?!_** " he shrieks, gripping what's left of his staff. I chuckle, "Maybe with a metal staff?" I suggest, playfully raising an eyebrow.

We trash a few of the bots, before being cornered by the cannon...

"Well... how highly unfortunate."

* * *

 ** _Four Minutes Later..._**

"Why on **_earth_** , do I have to carry this stupid thing?!"

"Because, you're the only one here with super strength."

"Well that's not very fair!"

Donnie was making me carry the top half of a Kraangdroid.

"She's carrying this thing because why?" Raph asks.

"Don't you want to understand how these things work?" D asks. I roll my eyes.

"Honestly D, I couldn't care less even if I tried, Brainiac!" I retort.

"I know how they work. Yo hit them 'til the brainy toy surprise pops out." Raph retorts.

"That's your problem, Raph. You don't think things through."

I drop the robot into the manhole. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to fit...

"Is that suppose to fit?" Raph asks, raising an eyebrow.

Donnie kicks the robot a few times, resulting in failure.

I slap my forehead in frustration, "Oh for the love of... why is it that _I have to do everything for you today?!"_

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

We were all chilling in the lair. Donnie was messing with his new toy while I was texting Gwen.

G: So, how's your "love" life treating you?

I roll my eyes.

J: Fine and dandy, thank you, _grunge_.

G: Whatever, _psycho_. Who's the oh-so lucky loser this time?

I narrow my eyes in thought. I think about Leo's bright ocean blue eyes, his toned muscles, not too rough and not too gangly, but just the right amount. I think about his serious demeanor, or the way he recites Captain Ryan's lines and that twinkle in his eyes as he watches the show and his absolutely _adorable_ goofy smile and how he gets excited about it. I think about his soft hands and his dorkiness and his horrible cheesy lines. I think about how he's serious about training and that intimidating and determined look in his eyes. Then, I remember that moment we had a few weeks ago.

I think about what to text Gwen,

J: He's not a loser and I don't know if I like him yet...

G: Where you staying at?

I start to panic a little. I love Gwen as a protective big sister. She's my best friend and one of my favorite people in the world. But, I _cannot_ tell her about the turtles. I'm not sure if she'll freak out or tell anyone. I trust Gwen not to do that, but... I have to ask Sensei... And wait for the right time to tell...

J: Not allowed to say. Sorry!

G: You can tell me. I promise not to tell anyone.

I bite my bottom lip in worry.

J: Maybe one of these days... Gotta go! Bye!

G: Bye, I guess. Whatever

I sigh in relief, throwing my head back. I want to tell Gwen. I really do. She's not like normal girls. Sure, she seems nice and cute, until you hit her breaking point, and then she'll snap your head off like a shark! She's kind of like a Raphael 2.0, only blonde and a little more calm. Maybe I'll ask Sensei later on...

I see Splinter with a wooden staff in his hand. Raph feeds a leaf to his pet turtle, Spike. "Look, Spike. Donnie got another stick to break." he insults, making me roll my eyes skyward. I pull out my magazine.

Donnie frowns at him, "With all due respect, Sensei, I can't keep fighting alien technology with a 6 foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon." he explains.

Splinter seems to ponder on this for a few seconds, "Mmm... a 7 foot staff. Interesting." he jokes. I snort and Donnie subtly pinches my leg before turning back to Splinter, "No, I meant using modern technology."

"Aah, a solar powered staff." he adds, obviously ignoring Donnie's seriousness.

"Very interesting, Brainiac." I comment, Donnie turns to glare at me, I cross my eyes and stick out my tongue to the side. "I'm serious, Sensei!" he snaps.

"I know, and yes, you may upgrade your weapon."

D crosses his arms defiantly, "That's totally unfair! You can't just-" he messes up, "Wait, did you say 'yes'?" I make a snuffle of amusement, and boy if looks could kill, I'd be dead by now thanks to Donnie, "Would you quit that?!"

"Mmm, I would, but the veins popping out of your forehead are fun to watch!" I grin and wink at him, going back to my magazine.

Splinter chuckles a bit, "Ninjas have improve their arsenal for centuries. We are masters of adaptation."

I look up from my magazine, "I thought we were masters of deception?"

"That is for a kunoichi, much like yourself."

Donnie jolts in excitement, "That is _great_! 'Cause with this technology, I will be _invincible_!" he babbles, "What should I make? Electric sais? Multishot shuriken? Plasma swords! I just gave myself goosebumps!" h turns to April, flexing his arm, "Wanna feel? Eh?" he asks.

She was looking at something in her laptop, not even glancing up at him, "Pass." she answers.

I pinch his arm really hard, "Ow!" he yelps, rubbing his muscle, giving me yet another death glare.

I smirk at him, "Payback."

* * *

 ** _One Minute Later..._**

Splinter warns Donnie about not to let technology control or something... I don't really remember. To be honest, I really wasn't listening. Well anyways, Donnie ran back to his fortress, probably going to upgrade his stick. I honestly don't see the big deal. If you ask me, he should insert a blade inside it.

"Hey, guys! Check out this post I got!" April exclaims.

I jump out of my seat, "Ooh! Is it the one with the dog trying to chase its tail?!" I ask, waving my hands excitedly.

Raph and Lion Boy were playing some game on the pinball machine, "Hang on, Girls, I just have to destroy Lameonardo."

I narrow my eyes at him, _"Seriously,"_ I say slowly, "Did you hit your head or something as a child, _Raphie_!" I snap, crossing my arms.

April and Lion Boy bark a laugh while Raph pouts and glares at me.

Lion Boy loses the game. Raph does a little dance before shoving him aside. He glares and rubs his head.

As soon as Raph sits down, Lion Boy smacks him upside the head and I flick him at the side of his head.

"So, what's up?" he asks as soon as he sits down.

"I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York." she starts to explain, "People send in pics, videos. I also got some stuff that may help us track the Kraang and find my dad. Like this video of a gas explosion."

She plays the video to us on her laptop. On it, we see grey smoke everywhere before a Kraangdroid appears and looks both ways before disappearing.

"A Kraangdroid." Lion Boy says.

"Where?! Aah! Hunh!" Mikey shrieks, waking him up from his nap on the tire swing. He falls into the water. I burst out laughing, "Oh! That's just as funny and hysterical than the dog!" I cackle.

"We'll check it out." LB states after I've sobered down. April raises an eyebrow, "Why not now?" I put my head in my hands. "Because it's day time." he starts to explain, "We can't let anyone see us."

She slams her laptop, "Well I _can_. Jewel, wanna come?" she asks in a stubborn tone. I look awkwardly between her and Lion Boy before nervously answering, "Erm... yes?"

April and I start to walk away, Lion Boy stops us. "April, Jewel, think about this. It could be dangerous." he explains. "Well danger is my middle name... wait... never mind. It's Annabel."

"You know what else could be dangerous?" she points her index finger at him, "Standing between me and my father."

He holds his hands up in surrender, "Okay," he lets us through. She smirks triumphantly and I give him a quick wink. He sends me a lopsided smile.

* * *

 **Leo's POV**

I watch Space Heroes in the living room. I'm not really paying attention, though. I keep worrying about Jewel... and April. I know she'll be okay. She's way too stubborn to give up in a fight so easily. She's just as skilled as me and adapts pretty quickly. I start to think about her olive toned skin, her dark blue eyes, the way she throws her head back and laugh, the sweet smell of her strawberry kiwi perfume and lotion, the way her skin glows, the way she lights up when she's training with Splinter. Her fighting style, the way it's so elegant and smooth yet fierce and deadly. I thought it was sweet of her when she defended me against Raph a few times. Realization dawns on me...

 _I like Jewel._

I like everything about her, her hair, fighting technique, eyes, her kindness, _everything!_

But... it's no use...

She's a model... an international supermodel! She could have any guy she wants, so...

 _Why would she want me?_

Mikey's voice interrupts me out of my thoughts.

"Leo, it's for you." he deadpans.

I walk over to see a robotic turtle, "What is this thing?"

Donnie appears with an earpiece on his head and a controller in his hands, "Gentlemen... and Raphael." I had to stifle a laugh at that. "This is the future of ninjitsu." he says.

 _Oh brother..._

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later..._**

Metalhead, dubbed by Mikey, stomped on my foot. _Hard_. I cry out in pain and before I know it, I'm kicked into Raph.

 _Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww_

 _So glad that Jewel wasn't here to see that..._

Mikey suddenly bumps into us _._ We all groan in pain. _Ouch!_

"I kicked your shells!" he gloats, we all stop our groaning to glare at him, "And I didn't even have to use the laser cannon! Face it guys, with this thing, I'm invincible!"

Raph suddenly stands up, "Oh yeah?" he uses one of his sais to knock the controller out of Donnie's hands. Donnie gives him a glare, "You know what I mean!"

He goes to grab it, only for it to be stopped by Sensei's foot. Donnie looks up at him, "Sensei? I was wondering if I could take Metalhead for a spin tonight."

 _Please say no, please say no, please say no._

"You may."

 _Dang it!_

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

Well... so far I am having a fantastic week. I got to see my best friend again, I'm meeting up with the legendary Lucy Leal, I get to see my agent in a few days, I might have a crush on Lion Boy, and the **_KRAANG ARE ABOUT TO POISON THE CITY'S WATER SUPPLY WITH MUTAGEN! IT'S ALL JUST PEACHY!_**

Before we get the chance to tell the turtles anything, we hear a high pitched whistle coming closer and closer. _What the...?_

Something crashes in the dumpster, making April and I jump in surprise. I super speed behind Lion Boy, wrapping my arms around his chest. He flinches a little.

Something thrashes inside the dumpster, trying to get out. Wait... where's Donnie? My hand travels to Leo's bicep. I squeeze it a little, it's... firm and... hard... like a rock.

Quickly, I unwrap my hands around his warm body, "Guys... what was that?" I ask. It continues to thrash around, Lion Boy puts a hand over his face. Finally, it kicks the lid open. I almost double in laughter at the sight of it. It's a small robotic turtle... positively one of Donnie's latest invention.

"Still stealthier than the real Donatello." Raph comments. I narrow my eyes, I smack him upside the head, "Shut it, Raph!" He narrows his eyes at me before Lion Boy gives him a look. He crosses his arms and I smirk in triumph.

"What the heck is that?" April asks.

"It's Donnie's latest, brilliant invention, Metalhead." LB explains.

 _"Ah."_ I say, "That would explain why he's not here... and... _Metalhead_?"

Mikey slides over to it, "Catchy name, huh? My idea."

" _Oh._ So, tha would explain why it sounds so... how do I put this gently?... Stupid or... obvious?" I joke, making everyone - even the robot - laugh. Well... except Mikey.

The mouth opens, "Oh, sorry girls, I'm still getting used to the controls." it screeches loudly. We all cover our ears, _"Owhowow! I think my ears are starting to bleed,_ _Ow!"_ I shriek in pain.

"Whoops." he chuckles sheepishly, "Megaphone button got stuck."

I continue to glare daggers at him, I uncover my hands, placing them on my hips, "Yeah, no kidding." I retort.

"Guys, we gotta do something! The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with mutagen!" April explains.

"The whole city will become a disaster area!"

"There'll be mutants everywhere!"

"Wow! Think of all of the friends we could make!"

We all pause to look at Mikey, "That's... that's just... you know what, I'm not even gonna try." I lift up my arms in defeat.

He lets go of the robot, "Excuse me for being a 'glass half full' kind of guy."

"Jewel?!" I hear a voice say. A _VERY_ familiar voice. Mine and everyone else's (and probably Donnie) eyes widen.

 _No... no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, **no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!** _

"Jewel... is that you?" I hear the voice say again. My whole being starts to shake. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, n-_

"Jewel, I can see you!" I hear my best friend snap. I try to turn around, bu my whole body feels numb. Lion Boy gently turns me around. I see Gwen, with her arms folded across her chest and glaring daggers into me, and she's tapping one foot impatiently.

 _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

Only one thing crosses my mind:

 _Gwen is going to kill me._

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

Good news: Gwen is not going to kill me. She thought living with mutants was awesome. Also... I've noticed the look between her and Raph... looks like a new romance blossoming... I told Gwen I'd explain it to her after our mission.

"What are you doing?! What is wrong with your arms?!" Lion Boy asks.

We were ducked behind the crates in the warehouse we were fighting the Kraang. Metalhead jumped in, landing on a few droids. Although... his arms were kind of... out of place.

"My hands aren't on my hips?" he asks.

I snort a little, "No!" Leo snaps, making me giggle harder. I gently peck his cheek to calm him down, it's... warm and soft... wait... is he blushing?

"Sorry. Forgot to press B." he finally puts his hands on his hips as promised.

The droids fire their lasers at Metalhead. To their horror and our amazement... not even a single _scratch_!

"Now it's _my_ turn!"

His left arm changes into a laser cannon, "Eat hot lasers!" he blasts every one of the droids and his right fist detaches and punches a bunch of the droids! DANG! I didn't know Metalhead could do _that_! Or how _awesome_ he is! He's killing it!

His fist reattaches itself, "Hey, Raph? How does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?" he gloats. Raph grumbles a little making me throw my head back and laugh.

"Burn!"

"Yeah, I thought that was a good one."

"No! Burn!" I point behind him.

He turns around, "Oh, right."

A flamethrower shoots out of his right hand, shooting fire at the robots. AWESOME! Oh... I wish I could do that...

One of Donnie's blasts heads straight towards us. We all quickly duck behind the crates, one hitting my right forearm...

I wait for the pain to come... but... m-my forearm... it's... it's... on fire? My hand isn't on fire, just from my wrist to my elbow...

It feels warm, but... it doesn't hurt. It actually just feels natural. Th flame disperses, no even leaving a scratch.

"What?" I whisper, inspecting my arm.

 _What the heck just happened?_

* * *

 _ **A Few Minutes Later...**_

Well, I think we can all agree that the universe **_IS LETTING THE WRONG SIDE HAVING THE ADVANTAGE OVER THEM!_** That, said, D just made a rockin' entrance, Metalhead got possessed by a Kraang Brain (Whoa, that totally, probably, rhymed!) and we're bashing a few blobs while D's taking care of Metalhead. So... about 50-50. Shoot.. did I leave the stove on?

 _"Booyakasha!"_ Donnie exclaims, his broken stick literally stabbing him in the chest. Ouch... eh! Better the Kraang Brain (I'm totally calling them that!;), than me!

"Sounds weird when _he_ says it."

"Sounds weird when _you_ say it."

"It sounds weird when _everyone_ says it." I retort, folding my arms across my chest.

A Kraang Brain then, and _wow!_ Never thought I would say this, attacks Donnie's face before running off. Okay... weird.

We all walk up to him.

"Nice job, bro!"

"Way to go, Donnie."

"You rocked it! That was wild, D!"

"Yeah, not bad. Except for that part where you built the thing in the first place. An the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us! And the part-"

"Okay, I _get_ it!"

Donnie looks down dejectedly at the floor, I frown at him and then give Raph a death glare. I stomp on his foot, making him yowl in pain. H drops down to the floor with a _thud._ We all share a laugh.

"Nice one." Lion Boy whispers.

I nudge his arm a little, "Thanks, Lion Boy."

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

Mikes, Raph, and Lion Boy were playing a pinball game while D and I were sitting on the couch. I was drawing a polar bear (Did you know that their fur is actually black but it's transparent but the light reflects on it, making it white?) while D kept sulking. Sensei walks up to him, "What troubles you, Donatello?"

Donnie sighs, "This was all my fault, Sensei." he answers. I shake my head, "You know that's not true."

"You are responsible, yes."

"Yeah."

"Responsible for destroying the mutagen. Responsible for saving the people of this city. Responsible for defeating advanced technology using only ingenuity, bravery... and a stick."

"Yeah, Donnie. If it weren't for you, New York would probably be New Mutants or something. Although, mutants may be cool... but, I don't think the rest of the city would agree. You shouldn't be _blaming_ yourself, you should be _congratulating_ yourself. You were the hero of the day. And your weapon doesn't define who you are. Your stick isn't stupid, it's _genius._ Like you. Which is why it's the weapon for you." I say. _Whoa... where did **that** come from?_

Splinter looks impressed and D looks awestruck, his mouth hanging open. He smiles at me in gratitude.

"Thanks, Sensei and Jewel. Maybe you guys are right." he admits. I roll my eyes, "Well, duh!"

"We are."

"I guess with proper training, there's nothing better than a wooden stick," he twirls his bo around, "Except a laser guided, missile launching wooden stick!" he slams his staff down. It starts to beep and buzz dangerously. _Uh oh._

Raph has both LB and Mikey in a headlock. Donnie's eyes widen, "It's not supposed to do that! **_RUN!_** "

The guys all run away and scream.

 ** _"DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO WHAT I JUST SAID, BRAINIAC!"_** I say before super speeding to my room.

 _He will never learn, will he?_

* * *

 ** _Another Hour Later..._**

I asked Splinter if I could bring Gwen to the lair. I told him she was trustworthy and that she could keep a secret. Plus... I'm literally her only friend... everyone's kind of scared of her.

" _Blegh!_ Does it always smell like spoiled cabbage in here?" she asks, pinching her nose and waving her other hand. I chuckle, "You know I don't have a good sense of smell." I say. She rolls her eyes at me.

"Well, here we are!" I exclaim, outstretching my arms to the living room. All of the turtles, Splinter, and April smile and wave.

"Hey!"

"Greetings"

" 'Sup."

I turn my head to look at my best friend. She looks like she's about to explode in excitement.

"Whoa... Jewel... why didn't you tell me about this place?!" she exclaims, jumping on the balls on her feet.

Gwen, this is April, Splinter, Donnie, Mikey, Raph, and Lion Boy." I introduce, pointing to the directed person. She raises an eyebrow, "Lion Boy? Wait... the one with the blue mask?"

I scratch my neck sheepishly, "Whoops. Leo. But I like to call him that." I answer. She nods, "Him only?" she mutters, smirking at me. I narrow my eyes.

 _Oh, she is **so** going to pay for that!_

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later..._**

I was getting ready for my meeting with Lucy Leal. I hear pop music playing outside. I roll my eyes. Wait... hmmmm... not a bad idea. I fly open my door dramatically, slowly walking to the beat of the music. My hands are on my hips and I put my left foot first and then slide my right foot to its left after putting it forward and I repeat. Everyone cheers me on, jumping up and down.

"Nice outfit, dudette!" Mikey shouts, everyone else nodding in agreement.

I'm still wearing my top but now I'm wearing black high waist mini shorts, semitransparent tights, that make my legs look darker and shiny, and I'm wearing purple and blue bangles on each wrist. I also have black five inched heels and my hair is middle parted.

I walk over to Lion Boy at the pinball machine, "What do you think?" I ask.

He gives me a smile, "Wow... You look... stunning." he says, stuttering a bit, making me giggle. He's so adorable when he stutters.

"Hey, you mind if I take a swing at the bag?" I hear Gwen ask. I hear Raph scoff, "Well, you can try, but I don't think-"

Gwen kicks the punching bag across the room. Raph gapes at her, mouth hanging open. She crosses her arms and smirks at him. She flicks his forehead before walking over to Leo and me. She stands behind Lion Boy.

"So, who's Lucy Leal?" he asks.

"She's this legendary designer. Counting me, Gwen, my friend, Nicole, discovered six supermodels. Creative director of Kaylee. I heard she's a piranha." I explain to him.

"Wow. Sounds like she's a big deal." he comments. I start to giggle, "She is. I'm actually kind of nervous. It's in an hour and my stomach feels like it's gonna explode. I've tried to do a few poses but they all come out as unnatural. I'm not exactly able to relax and... I'm scared I'll look a idiot at there..." I trail off, ducking my head down in disappointment. I feel a hand on my shoulder, Lion Boy gives me a sincere smile, "You'll do great. Just... remember I'm here if you need a shoulder to cry on." he says to me.

I smile at him and he smiles back. We just stay like that until Gwen looks to me and him. She gives off a knowing smirk and winks at me. She sweeps Leo's foot, making hi trip and falls on top of me. Our lips almost touch. I hear laughing from the others. Leo blushes red and chuckles nervously. H stumbles getting up, gently helping me up, "S-Sorry." he mumbles in embarrassment. I glare daggers into Gwen. She gives me a faux innocent smile. **_GWEN!_**

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

"My little gator monkey! How are you?!" My agent squeaks. It's weird, he's dark skinned and muscular and has a buzz cut and a shaved beard and goatee. Yet... he wears top hats and sequins.

"I'm fine, William, thank you. And you?" I ask.

"Oh, I'm just glorious, my panda baby! Lucy Leal wants to meet with you. Like asap!" he drags my hand into the reception area, don the hallway, to the right, three doors down, and there it is: Lucy Leal's office. William places his hands on my shoulders, "Okay, you are about to see Lucy again. She's going to see if you're right for this photoshoot. This is the moment when the next month of your life takes shape, Julia. Or fails completely. No pressure."

And he pushes forward.

* * *

The room is dark. Like... pitch black. Except for one bright light shining on a woman. She's Chinese, her long, wavy hair is black with blonde low lights. Her skin is tanned, she's wearing a scarlet red dress, red heels, black gloves and bright red lips.

"Hello, _Julia_." she says, pronouncing my name with an 'H' sound.

"Hi, Lucy." I say, keeping my calm demeanor.

"How are you, _Julia_."

"I'm fine, thank you. You?"

"I've been better. How exactly old are you now, _Julia_?"

"Fifteen."

"How many magazine covers have you been on for Kaylee.?"

"All of them."

"And why exactly do you think that?"

"Ummm... 'cause I'm very pretty?"

"Precisely. Also, because you're skin glows and you're the only model who doesn't cry or fools around like a monkey. Plus you are very bright and the camera loves you."

"Thank you."

"You're on the cover. You don't even need an interview. I'm just making sure you're not getting fat. In fact," she looks up and down at me when she uses a remote to shine a spotlight over me, "You're a little more muscular, but luckily, in a gorgeous way. You don't have a boyfriend, do you? I can't have any of my best models distracted by some silly boy." she says sharply.

I think about Lion Boy. The way his presence comforts me, the way his hand feels soft, the way he lent me a few comforting words and a shoulder to cry on.

 _Oh, maximum fail!_

 _How can I not like him?!_

Wait... I don't know if I even like him. Maybe I don't.

"No."

Lucy smiles a bit, "Good. William will send you a text of when it will be. And the theme is ballgowns _._ Don't be late. Got it?" she asks sharply. In fact, her voice is sharp.

I nod, "Yes, ma'am."

It's just one little photshoot, right?

 _What could go wrong?_

* * *

 **And there you go! I'm thinking about making a few one shots, but I don't know yet. Anyway, Please R &R. Toodles!**


	8. Monkey Brains

**I'm baaaack! With a new chapter and yes, there will probably, most likely be more action in it. Using this onscreen keyboard is annoying! Well, here you go! Enjoy Monkey Brains!**

 **Wait! I forgot to put in Gwen's bio.**

 **Appearance: Curly blonde hair with a side swept bang, stops at her shoulders, blue eyes with a little green mixed in, peach pink lipstick, dark grey and purple eyeshadow, black mascara and eyeliner, fair skin.**

 **Outfit: Black purple long sleeved blouse, dark purple mini pencil skirt, black transparent tights with a fancy design, black leather high knee boots.**

 **Personality: Short tempered, impatient, kind, sarcastic, brave, and determined and cranky.**

 **History: A professional gymnast, accidentally discovered by a model agency, met Jewel at a gymnast class at 6.**

* * *

"So, what'd you wanna show me?" Gwen asks. I was showing her my room, now that it's fully finished.

"My new room. Wait 'til you see it! It's awesome!" I open the door and wait for her reaction.

The walls are light pink and black roses with a queen sized bed with a rectangular glittery black canopy. The covers are purple, pink, and black, styled as roses. There's a bunch of paintings on the walls, with a few of my covers for fashion articles. There's a desk next to my bed and a pink vanity. On the desk and walls, there's a few pictures of my dad and one family photo with my mom, dad, and me as a baby. Also, there's obviously a closet and mannequin torso dress form without the head. And... Dolly and a motorcycle, guitar, my gymnast uniform, an easel and a bunch of books, magazines, bottles of paint, pencils, and a ballerina music box. And a few weights and my own punching dummy.

She blinks a few times, I wave my hands in front of her face. "Gwen?" she takes a deep breath, "I love it. It's girly, but kind of a rocker edge." she says.

"Thanks. So... you like Raphael?" I ask. She blushes bright red, "N-No! Why?!" she stutters, wincing at the sound of her voice. I burst out laughing, "Please, when you first saw him, you looked speechless and a few nights ago, you tried to impress him with that roundhouse kick, grunge!"

She glares hard at me, crossing her arms defiantly, "Oh, like _you_ don't have a crush on _Lameonardo!_ " she retorts. I immediately stop cackling and narrow my eyes at her, balling my fists, "First of all, it's _Leonardo._ Second of all, _don't_ call him that." My glare is practically killing her. Her smirk falters, "Okay, I'm sorry. But, do you like him?" she asks, her voice a little gentle now. I shrug, "I don't know. Maybe. It's kind of hard to tell sometimes, ya know?" I explain. She looks like she wants to say something, but she doesn't say anything, putting a hand on my shoulder. I raise an eyebrow.

 _What was that all about?_

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

I asked Leo to meet me in my room. I had to tell somebody about my... warmth.

"So, what'd you wanna tell me about?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. I take a deep breath, "Well... a few weeks ago, when we were fighting Bradford and that other guy, I got so tired of the flirting, that... my hand literally caught on fire. And when it disappeared, it didn't leave a scratch or even a _mark_. And when Metalhead accidentally zapped me in the arm, my forearm caught on fire. It's really weird, Leo. And this isn't even the first time. I'm always feeling warm and when I get really excited or mad or even just laugh so hard, _smoke_ comes out of me." I explain. I wait for him to say something. He nods, narrowing his eyes in thought, "Well... this probably sounds crazy, but... maybe it's just like that night with Stockman. Maybe... you have fire powers. I could be wrong, but you should have Donnie analyze you." he says.

I nod a little, "Maybe..." we sit there in silence. We both look at each other, smiling. He looks behind me, "Is that you?" he asks, pointing behind me, I turn my head to look at the family portrait. I grab it, and I give him a closer look. On it, is a picture of me, my dad... and my mom. We're all sitting on a couch, me in my mom's lap. I'm wearing a light pink dress with a white collar that has pink roses and bubble sleeves, there's a pink bow on the side of my head, white shoes, pink socks, and my charm bracelet. My father's arm is around her shoulders, her head leaning on his shoulder. My mom's arms are wrapped around me. My mom's dark skin is glowing, her dark hair flowing, she's wearing a red long sleeved dress, black pumps, and her hair is middle parted. She's smiling so wide that it breaks her whole face apart. She looked... beautiful.

I feel a finger wipe my eye. I turn to look at Lion Boy, who smiles at me and shrugs one shoulder awkwardly, "She's beautiful, Jewel. You kind of look like her." he tells me. I sniffle a little, "I'll take credit for the skin glowing, but she had all the beauty. I... miss them, Leo. I barely knew her and I lost my dad too soon." I whisper, trying to keep my tears at bay. He lands a hand on my shoulder, pulling me close to him. My tears are starting to drip down to his shoulder, and I snuggle my face into it, "Thanks, Leo." I whisper, my voice muffled by his shoulder. "Anytime."

* * *

 ** _Another Hour Later..._**

I was with Donnie in his lab. He was drawing with his ruler on some poster board. I was gonna ask him to analyze me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the others walk in.

"What you up to, Donnie?" Lion Boy asks.

Donnie jumps a bit, letting out a startled yelp, making me snort. He continues drawing on his board.

"Just putting up the finishing touches of my master plan."

"Master plan?"

"Dang it! He's gonna explain it again!

He looks up at us, "Yeah, to get April to hang out with me, and it was your idea, Julie." he explains. The three of them laugh while I roll my eyes.

"Try this," Lion Boy starts, " 'April, do you want to hang out with me?' "

Donnie glares at him, but then he smirks, "Well, if you liked a girl, Leo, would you walk up to her and ask her that?"

Leo's eyes widen and Mikey and Raph try to hold back desperate snickers. I raise an eyebrow.

 _What the heck are they talking about?_

"Wait, you told him to do that, psycho?" Raph asks. I glare at him, "I told him to be prepared just in case she said 'no', I didn't think he would make a flow chart! I thought he was just gonna ask her!"

"Yeah, you see, it's not that simple. I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success." he explains.

"Aw! That's so romantic!" Mikey points out.

"More like complicated! Seriously, I couldn't even get through one word of that!"

D rolls his board in front of us, "Yeah, for instance, if April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks." he explains, pointing to a much of colorful lines with his stick.

I throw my head back, " _Ugh!_ Donnie, just get to the _very last line!_ This is torture!" I rub my temples. Raph folds his arms across his chest, "Well, what if she says she can't because you're a total nerd?" he retorts. I stomp on his foot, "OW! HOW STRONG ARE YOU?!"

"Stronger than you, Meathead!"

"Ah," Donnie continues loudly, breaking up our little squabble, "That's this thread here." he keeps pointing with his stick, "I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."

I roll my eyes, and out of the corner of it, I see April walking in with her laptop in her hands.

 _"Guys!"_

 ** _"GYAH!"_** Donnie's board flips rapidly, before he lands it on the movie side, leaning on it, "Hey, hey, Ap hey, April." he stammers, a blush tinting on his cheeks. I snicker at this.

 _Oh, Donnie._

She sits down in D's spot, opening her laptop, "You guys gotta check this out!" Donnie walks over to see. She clicks play on some video, "Renowned neurochemist, Dr. Tyler Rockwell, has been reporting missing..." a report announced. My eyes widen at the name.

 _Dr. Tyler... Rockwell?_

A memory flashes through my eyes.

* * *

 _"Daddy?" a 10 year old girl squeaks. She carefully studies her father's state. He was covered in scratches and bruises from head to toe. He had a black eye and split lip. His face was so swollen to the point where no one couldn't even tell it was him. He was practically covered in blood. The sickening red crimson color radiating off in waves. She could even smell the sick metallic scent from where she stood. Her eyes were a river. Face was tear swollen. The most horrifying sight was his head. It was nearly split open, blood pouring out like a waterfall._

 _A distressed voice interrupted her thoughts, "Where is Dr. Rockwell?!" she heard the nurse screeched._

 _"He's the only who can perform this surgery!"_

 _"Well, we're gonna have to use someone else, instead!"_

 _"We can't! All of the other doctors are booked!"_

 _"Well, we can't use Dr. Rockwell! He's stuck in Boston!"_

 _"Daddy? Can you hear me?" the girl whisphered. He didn't respond._

 _"Please talk to me. I miss you. I don't wanna lose you." tears kept pouring from her eyes. She felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned her head to see a nurse, who smiled weakly at her, "Don't worry, sweetheart. We're gonna take good care of your dad. Dr. Rockwell will make him all better again. He wanted to promise you himself." she whisphered. The girl sniffled. A doctor suddenly came into the room, pausing when he saw the little girl. "Ummm... Nurse Hidaka, we need to perform the surgery now. Watashitachi wa koko kara dete on'nanoko o shutoku suru hitsuyo ga arimasu." he said in Japanese._

 _She bowed, "Hai." she gently lifted the girl up before she could protest. A bunch of nurses and doctors came rushing in._

 _"Daddy!" she tried to outstretch her arm to him. The nurse gently rubbed her back, placing her down on the chair, "It's gonna be alright, sweetheart, don't worry!"_

 _And just like that, she was out of the girl's sight._

 _She waited about 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 15 seconds. She liked to count._

 _She couldn't wait anymore. She had to see if her father was alright!_

 _With all her courage, she ran to the E.R. Despite the receptionist protests. She ran as fast as her long, thin legs could carry her. She flung open the door and nearly tripped over herself at the sight of her father._

 _He was awake! YES!_

 _Her smile nearly broke apart her face. She excitedly ran over to her father, "Daddy!" she exclaimed, hopping on her toes. She held his bandaged arm, "Daddy, I'm so happy that you're okay. I was really worried that I los- Dad?" she raised an eyebrow. He hadn't said anything the entire time... or smiled warmly at her like he always did. Or rubbed her ear when she was excited or happy. But his eyes were open... so how come..._

 _Her eyes widened, she clung onto his arm tighter, as if she was hanging off a cliff. His eyes... his eyes were... emotionless... and glassy. As if he was staying off into space..._

 _She nearly choked on a gasp, tears pouring down harder than the Hudson River. She clung onto her deceased father's arm with all her might, "Daddy!" she yelled, desperate for him to wake up._

 _"Daddy, no! Please." she wailed, shaking his arm._

 ** _"Please, dad! Please don't leave me! Daddy! Daddy!"_** _she wailed at the top of her lungs._

 _Nurse Hidadka rushed in, hearing all of the commotion. The little girl turned her head to face her, still clinging onto her father's arm, "You said Dr. Rockwell promised me he was gonna fix him. This isn't fixed!" she screeched, tears cascading down her face. The nurse sadly frowned at her, "I'm afraid he couldn't keep this promise..." she whisphered, leaving the girl to her grief._

 _She painfully closed her eyes, more and more tears flowing down to the floor._

 ** _"Daddy, please! No, no, no, no! NO!"_**

 ** _"Please don't leave me like Mom did!"_**

 _She gritted her teeth, a fire erupting within her chest, **"I. HATE. YOU. DR. TYLER... ROCKWELL! I HATE YOU FOR MAKING MY FATHER LEAVE ME! I HATE YOU!"** she screamed, face swollen with fresh and coming tears._

 _She shook her father, "Daddy!" she shook harder._

 _"Daddy!" she shook even more harder._

 ** _"DADDY!"_**

 ** _"DADDY!"_**

 ** _"DADDY!"_**

 ** _"DADDY!_**

 ** _"DADDY!"_**

* * *

The word echoed off my mind. I shook my head. Slightly still in the haze of that night. Rockwell was supposed to operate on my dad when his head was nearly split open. If he hadn't been in Boston... my dad still would have lived! Why on _earth_ should I care if he was kidnapped! It's because of him that I don't have a _father anymore!_

"Jewel?"

Lion Boy shook me out of my thoughts. I turn to see him staring at me in genuine concern.

"Are you okay?" he whispered. I pursed my lips and nodded.

"April's right. We should go check it out. What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, April." Donnie says, looping an arms around her. He looks over his shoulder and puts his thumb up and winks at us. _Aah... I see what he's doing..._

I smile and put both of my thumbs up before they disappear..

 _I wonder if that was on his flowchart..._

* * *

 ** _An Hour Later..._**

I was sitting on the couch, clutching Dolly. I couldn't stop thinking about Dr. Rockwell and my dad... That was the worst day of my life. And he could've saved him! But he didn't! Of course I was still mad about it!

 _Who wouldn't be?!_

I see Lion Boy take a seat beside me, "Are you okay?" he asks me softly, placing a three fingered hand on my shoulder. I shrug, not taking a quick glance at him.

"Jewel, what's wrong? You've been acting kind of weird ever since we watched that video. You know you can tell me anything that's wrong, right?"

I hesitate and finally look at him. He flinched a bit, before frowning. I open my mouth to say something before a groan interrupts me. We all turn to see April looping Donnie's arm around her. He looked pretty beat up badly. He had a bunch of bruises and a few scratches and there was a little blood at the corner of his mouth. All of our eyes widen. The guys run up to them while I stand up.

"Whoa, what happened?" Raph asks. Donnie kept groaning, "Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey!" April explains. I raise my eyebrows, folding my arms across my chest. The three of them share confused looks. April let go of him when Leo looped D's arm around his shoulder, "April, can you get an ice pack?" She runs over to the kitchen. Leo gently lays Donnie onto the couch, "Donnie, you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine."

"In that case,"

They all sputter into laughter, pointing at Donnie, whose eyes twitch and his cheeks turn to a dark shade of crimson. I glare at them. "Yeah, real mature guys!" I say, growling a bit. _Although... it is kinda funny... maybe a little..._

* * *

 _ **An Hour Later...**_

I was sitting in my room, staring at the picture of my dad. That was the week of my gymnastic tournament. My team won thanks to my famous move: The Scarlet Moon. We won and my dad took me, Gwen, and Nicole out for ice cream. Gwen's mom took a picture of me and my dad. He knelt on one knee with an arm wrapped around my waist. I was still wearing my uniform but I had a black purple and floral dress covering it a little. My hair was in a french braid. My dad's skin was olive tonned, slightly lighter than mine's, his hair was short and spiked to the top. He had his black shirt and his dark jeans with his dress shoes. He was actually pretty good looking before he died.

A knock is heard from my door, "Come in." I mutter, not looking away from the photo. The door opened slowly, Leo poking his head in.

"Hey." he greets, walking in. I smile weakly at him, "Hey."

He takes a seat on the chair across from my bed, "About earlier, you never really told me what was wrong." he explains.

I look at him for a few seconds, then go back to the picture, "It has to do with that scientist and my dad..." I trail off, not sure how to explain it. Leo raises an eyebrow, "What does your dad have to do with Dr. Rockwell?"

My eyes start to burn a little, but I blink them back, "Well... okay, I said that my dad died in a car accident, right?" I start, sitting up straight. He nods a little, gesturing for me to continue.

I take a deep breath, "Okay, well when my dad was taken to the hospital, they had to perform some head surgery on him. His head was almost split open in the accident. They called Dr. Rockwell to perform it, since he was one of the bests. But... he never showed up. They said he was stuck in Boston, so they had to perform the surgery themselves. But... i-i-it was too late... my best guess he woke up before he died, b-because when I ran in, his eyes were open and h-he was..." I trail off, choking up in my words.

Leo kept forward and wrapped his arms around me, "Thanks." I whisper, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry you went through that, Jewel. But just know... it wasn't your fault. You didn't know Rockwell wouldn't show up or your dad was gonna be in that accident." he whispers, stroking the back of my head. I sniff a bit, "Thanks, Lion Boy. And hey, at least I have you guys and Splinter."

And I meant it. The turtles are like the brothers I never had. And - _wait... All of the turtles are like brothers to me! So... that means... I don't like Leo like that! I like him as my brother!_

Oh, thank goodness! Mystery solved! Huh... feels good to not have any drama in my life. Well... romance drama. But hey... at least I don't have to worry about boys for now...

* * *

 ** _One Hour Later..._**

We are all chilling in the living room. I was drawing in my sketchbook. It was a rough sketch of a wolf with scarlet red eyes.

"Guys, I think I've found something!" April exclaims. We gather around her to see the screen.

"These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the mutagen." she explains. We see a bunch of images pop up. I roll my eyes, "Don't care." I mutter under my breath. _Well, I don't care about Rockwell!_

"Why would he do that?"

"He thought he could use it to create a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities."

"You mean that monkey was psychic?"

"Eh, I'd prefer a butler but a psychic monkey would be pretty cool, I guess."

Leo chuckles at that. I feel this weird pang in my stomach. _Huh?_

"It's more like he was reading our emotions. After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile." she explains.

"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beating a little sunshine into him." D says, punching his open palm.

"Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search." Lion Boy orders.

"Wait, but how are we gonna stay in contact if one of us spot the monkey." I ask, quirking a brow.

Donnie smiles and stands up, "I have a little something that might help. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you... _The T-Phone!_ " he holds out a shell shaped phone.

"Dude, _I'm_ in charge of naming stuff. I would've called it: The T-Phone." Mikey complains. I roll my eyes skyward, "Oh brother."

Don frowns, "I _did_ call it the T-Phone."

Mikey pouts, "Yeah, but _I_ would've called it the T-Phone."

Raph smacks him over the head with his magazine. Donnie slides over to April, holding out his invention, "And April, if you give me your cell number, I can patch you into our network."

She smiles up at him, "Sweet!" she exclaims, dialing her number.

D smiles so wide that it breaks his whole face apart, "See that? I got her number!" he whispers.

"Her number's on the fridge, you dork."

I glare at Raph and stomp on his foot again.

 ** _"YEOW! STOP DOING THAT!"_**

 ** _"WELL THEN STOP BEING SUCH A GRUNGE, YA LITTLE TWIT!"_**

* * *

I'm on Delancy street. We were all hunting down the monkey.

"He's headed south on Delancy!"

"I'm over on Delancy, too!"

"I'm on Houston! I'll cut him off!"

"Wait, I see him!" I hop off the rooftop, swinging myself on the lamppost before flipping onto the air. I scan for the monkey, but no sign of him. I see Donnie skid over on a roof.

"I don't see him!"

"He changed direction?"

I super speed back to Bleeker. Still no sign of that monkey!

"Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"

"I'm on it!"

"Wait for me! I can super speed to him." I super speed to Mikey's street. I see Mikey crashing into a wall. I leap off to the rooftop to get a better view. I see Raph and Lion Boy chase after him, flipping and swinging to catch up with him. I super speed on a few rooftops. I finally see the monkey bumping into Mikey.

"Whoa! Watch it!"

I flip down, gracefully landing on my feet. I super speed after him. I see him hide into a dumpster. I smirk in triumph, "Gotcha." I walk up to the dumpster, hearing the guys arguing behind me. I turn around. I wave my arm, "April!"

She walks up to me. I motion for her to open the lid. She lifts it up, letting out a faint gasp. Inside, we see the monkey, his back facing us. He had his head in his hands, panting heavily. He turns to face us. His eyes widen a little when he looks at me.

I raise an eyebrow. April smiled encouragingly and holds out her hand. He takes and she helps him crawl out of the dumpster. When he looked at me he had on this guilty expression. As if he wanted to say 'sorry'.

Suddenly, a nunchuck chain wraps around him. He yowls and roars in angry, struggling to get free. April and I turn to see the turtles.

" _Ha!_ Gotcha that time!" Mikey exclaims.

"Great, we got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell."

April and I take a step closer to the monkey. He roars violently, making April jump back a bit before she takes a closer look at him. I tilt my head, his eyes bulge before they calm down a little.

"Actually, we're a lot closer than you think."

I raise an eyebrow. _What on earth is she talking about?_

"What? How?"

"Yeah, what do you mean?"

She looks at me apologetically, "I think this _is_ Dr. Rockwell."

My eyes widen. My jaw starts to clench. And I pull my hands into fists. I grip them so hard that my knuckles start to turn white. I narrow my eyes at the monkey, who looks at with a sorry expression.

I feel my whole body start to shake.

"Jewel?" I hear Lion Boy say. I feel everyone take a step back except for Leo. I start to take a step closer to the monkey, before turning back to April, **_"He's who?"_** I whisper. My voice wavering dangerously. She gulps.

I grip my fists tighter, "So, you mean to tell me that this _monkey_ , is the man responsible for **_my father's death? By not performing the surgery!"_** I say, my voice starting to sound more like a growl.

Suddenly, I start to feel my whole body go warm. Everyone's eyes turn wide as saucers. They scream and point at me. I hear Dr. Rockwell yelp.

 ** _"What?!"_**

 ** _"JEWEL!"_**

 ** _"OH MY GOSH!"_**

 ** _"DUDETTE!"_**

 ** _"WHAT?! What is it?!"_**

 ** _"JEWEL... YOU'RE ON FIRE!"_**

My eyes go wide. My heart stops at the pit of my chest. I look at my hands. Then at my legs. Then my hair and shoulders. Huh... I _am_ on fire.

I scream. I try to get it off. But it's no use. I scream for them to get it off. April grabs a water bottle and squirts it all over me. **_It doesn't work at all!_** I scream a little more. The only thing that's on my mind right now, is to get this fire off of me!

Suddenly, the flames disappear. I pant a little. I scan my whole body. No burns or scratch.

 _What the...?_

I look at the guys, who also pant. I see Leo scan me for any injuries, before calming down a bit.

 ** _"Oh my gosh! Oh, that was so awesome!"_ ** I exclaim, pumping my fist in the air. I smile so wide, I think it breaks my whole face apart. Everyone looks at me like I just grew two heads. I raise my eyebrow and tilt my head a little, I shrug one shoulder, "What? Hey, I have _fire_ powers! Excuse me for being a _little_ excited."

* * *

 ** _A Few Minutes Later..._**

We were in Victor Falco's lab. Rockwell was stripped to the chair. I stood beside Leo. I had my arms folded across my chest and a glare full of hate.

Falco injects a needle into Rockwell. He starts to calm down before falling asleep.

"There. That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell."

I raise my eyebrow and narrow my eyes. I'm not sure if I really trust this Falco guy. There's just something about him I don't like... _I just can't put my finger on it..._

"Is there anyway to get him back to normal?" April asks.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life."

I scoff, "Oh, _que loca..._ " I mutter. Leo shushed me. I don't trust Falco... _He's lying_... I can tell it in his eyes and his tone of voice. I know because all of the other models I've met do the same thing when they're being 'nice'. I feel a sick acid feeling at the pit of my stomach at the thought of Falco.

 _I don't why... But I don't think Falco is really on our side..._

* * *

We were eating in the kitchen. While everyone was eating pizza, I made myself a fresh bowl of strawberries and blueberries.

"Hey, Donnie. How come you're not eating?" I hear Leo ask. I look at Donnie, who was on his laptop.

"What? Oh, I'm not hungry. Something's been bothering me. Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey."

"And?"

"Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA."

"We're still not following you." Leo says, raising a brow. I roll my eyes. Honestly, I don't what happens to Rockwell. I tune out the rest of the conversation. Flashes of my dead father appear in my mind. The vacant look in his eyes. His car colliding against that truck. His gravestone, adorned with lilies and photos of him. The photo of him earning his black belt at twelve. The photo of him and my mom on their first date. The photo of him and me when I was three. Then, I see a faded memory of me yelling darkly in Japanese at Dr. Rockwell, who had apologized nearly three thousand times.

"Uhhh... Jewel?!"

I turn to see everyone freaking out a little. I smell smoke on my head. I look up to see flames igniting on my hair. I take a deep breath. Maybe if I stay call, it'll disperse. As if on cue... it dispersed. I smile in satisfaction. _Huh... my hair seems kind of shinier now._

Donnie walks up to me, "Jewel, after our mission, I'm gonna need to take a look at you to find out more about your... umm, flames."

* * *

"Alright, Falco! We've had enough of your -"

"Do not say 'monkeying around'."

"Yeah. No offense Lion Boy, but these monkey puns are really starting to get old."

Oh...

To make it long story short. Falco lied. I was right about my bad feeling about him. I still hate Dr. Rockwell. He extracted something from Rockwell, who I still hate. And... _ugh, I'm too tired to explain this..._

"I wasn't going to..." Leo replies sheepishly.

Falco chimes in, _"Yes. You were."_

"It's over Falco! We know it was _you_ who mutated Rockwell!" Donnie accuses.

Falco smirked, "I used him as a guinea pig."

"Well it didn't work. You turned him into a monkey." Mikey says.

I roll my eyes, " _Ya ninny!_ That's an _expression,_ he didn't _actually_ turn him into a guinea pig, he just used him as a _test subject!"_

"The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me"

All I'm hearing is _blah blah blah blah_ , Raph's annoying, _blah blah blah_ , kill me...

"Smack the white off my lab coat? " Falco chuckles, "How humorous."

"Lucky guess." Raph runs full speed at him. He tries to land a hit on him, but Falco dodges.

Okay... maybe I should've listened to his speech. _Good to know..._

Falco grabs one of his sais and uses it to hit him on the head. Then, he kicks him in the stomach, making him crash into Donnie and Mikey. Leo jumps behind him. He slashes with his swords, but Falco dodges.

 _Dang! He really is psychic!_

"Well... guess I'm gonna have to do this the old fashioned way. With maximum effort." I mutter.

Falco knocks Leo out with one of the sais. I jump behind him, taking out my tanto. He backs away a bit, smirking. I run to slash him, but he steps aside. I front flip and he backs away. I flick my blade left and right, trying to land a hit on him. I kick him in the head. He holds his cheek and glares at me. I smirk, "It's called using maximum effort."

I super speed in a circle around him, making him dizzy. I punch him in the lip. I go to punch him in the face, but he grabs my fist and twists it. I fall to the ground. He disappears, I see him knocking Mikey out with Raph's sai. I try to get up, but my wrist starts to ache. I see him fighting Donnie.

I see Donnie smile and he runs to Falco, he kicks him a few times. Falco troesnto defend, but Donnie punches and kicks him. Finally, he does a back flip, bounces off the wall and then throws punches at Falco. Falco crashes into a vent, groaning.

I try to calm my aching wrist. I get an idea. I try hard to think about my hand lighting on fire. I focus, _and focus, and focus..._

Finally, the hand lights on fire. My wrist starts to calm down, no longer aching. I smile in satisfaction. I push my legs up in the air, jumping up. We all walk up to Donnie.

"Whoa, Donnie, _nice work!_ "

" _Ha!_ What'd I tell you about those _back flips_ , huh? Pretty cool!" Mikey complements.

I chuckle, "Not too shabby for a geek, if I do say so myself."

He smiles at us, before grabbing a canister full of ooze, "Now that we have the ooze, let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang."

We all turn to the vent... _It's empty!_

D gasps, "Falco's _gone!_ "

We hear Rockwell struggle in his chair. _Oh, right_... Someone should help him.

"What do we do about him?" Mikey asks, holding the canister.

I roll my eyes, glaring at the stupid monkey.

We all walk up to him, Donnie takes off his straps.

He steps over to the window, before pausing at us. I kept my glare on. He outstretched his arm to me, I take a step back.

"Don't even _think_ about it, you filthy _animal!_ You're lucky that we're _letting_ you go! But don't even think about apologizing because I will **_never_** forgive you!" I yell angrily, waving my finger disapprovingly at him.

He frowns sadly, "I'm no psychic, but I think he's trying to thank us. And... I think he's trying to apologize for hurting you." Donnie replies.

I look at Rockwell, who looks at me with pleading eyes, **_"Get out."_** I say in a firm and angry tone. He sadly looks down, leaping out of the window.

"Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York really the best place for him?"

We hear roaring and yelling. And cars crashing.

I shrug, "He's on his own there."

* * *

I was in Donnie's lab. He was analyzing me about my fire thing.

He was looking through a microscope.

I huff, "Well?" I ask, impatient.

"This is amazing! Jewel, your molecules are moving in a rapid motion! I don't believe it... you really _do_ have fire powers!" he exclaims, laughing.

My eyebrows raise, "Awesome! That explains so much! Can I go now?"

He nods, "Sure."

I walk out of the lab, going back to my room. I accidentally bump into Lion Boy.

"Sorry." he mumbles, rubbing his cheek.

I shrug, "It's okay. And, it has been official. I have pyrokinesis, super speed, and super strength. Wow... I think I'm might be more powerful than _anyone_ on this planet."

We both chuckle.

"So..." he says, scratching his neck. I start to feel a weird tingle in my neck and back. Weird... Must be a side effect of my powers...

"So..." I parrot. Suddenly, I get this awesome idea in my head. I smile, "Wanna see something?"

He nods. I grab his hand and drag him out of the lair. He let out a strangled yelp, " _Gyah!_ Wait, where are you taking me?!"

I pause in my tracks, making him bump into my back. I smirk mischievously, I slowly turn my head, "Somewhere private and a very good place to go. Now," I wriggle my shoulders, "Hold on to my hand tight. This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

And before he could protest, I super speed out of the lair. I bark a laugh when I hear Leo screaming.

 _What a goody two shoes dork!_

* * *

"Jewel... where are we?"

Leo and I stopped at the Brooklyn Bridge.

I give a wide grin, "My special place."

He raises an eyebrow, "Your special place is this bridge?"

I nod, "Yeah." I whisper, looking off into the water. I sigh in content. Leo and I were in a dark spot at the bridge. So luckily, no one could see us.

"So, why is this your special place?"

I turn my head to him. I take in his appearance in the dark. His serene ocean blue eyes stare back at me. They're filled with wonder and curiosity. It catches me off guard. Usually, I see determination and calmness in his eyes. But, this time it's different... They're more... childlike wonder. Without a care in the world.

I tilt my head a little, "Well," I start, "It's because it's the only part of the city that feels _exactly_ like me, Leo." I explain, sounding strangely quiet and calm, "Don't get me wrong, I love modeling. But I love gymnastics more. Ever since I quit gymnastics, I've always been _nowhere_ at all. I'm between two places. I see everything from a distance, but I'm never a _part_ of it." my chest started to feel like it was being unraveled, as if I need to let this out.

I look straight at Leo now, "I'm not magic, Lion Boy. And I am _definitely_ no genie of some kind. That's pretty much what I'm talking about right now. You know, just because you're _everywhere_ doesn't necessarily mean that you're _anywhere_. I've been a model for about ten years and for three years, I've spent most of my time struggling with my schedule."

I see Leo's eyes stare at me before I turn away, listening to the silent ripples of the water from below. "You're tired of not having a home." Leo whispers. I turn to him, there in his ocean blue eyes, I see empathy and understanding. I sadly nod, "I haven't lived in one single place for more than one week. I miss it. I miss being shouted out by my coach to stop eating all of the strawberries at practice. I miss waking up in the morning and doing a little training run with my dad. I miss eating Emma's world famous pancakes in the morning."

I can see Leo's eyebrow raise in the extremely dim lighting, "You had a chef?"

I giggled a little, "Yeah. My dad was a doctor and she was my nanny."

I sigh, "I miss running in the woods near my house. I miss the peaceful stream of the the lake. The vibrant shade of the blossom trees, hearing the birds whistling." I smirk, "And telling everyone on my gymnastics team what to do and they have to obey my every command. Even massage my feet."

Leo bursts out laughing. I start to laugh too. Five minutes later, both of us are chuckling breathlessly, clutching our stomachs and wiping the tears from our eyes. Leo and I look at each other while smiling in content. _I don't why... but I feel like there's something more to Lion Boy than what meets the eye._

"You know," I say, smiling a little wider, "It's kind of nice having a..." I trail off. The word is caught in my throat. I don't get it... _why_ can't I say the word?

Leo squints his eyes, shaking his head a bit, "A?"

"Bro..ther." I sat slowly, looking off to the side. _Huh. Well, that was random..._

I see him frown a little before he offers me a tight lipped smile, "Mh-hmm. Yep!" he chuckles nervously, "That's what I am. A brother!" he chuckles nervously even more, ignoring all eye contact. I raise an eyebrow. I look down to the water, then back at Leo. I smirk. I stare at Leo for a few seconds, seeing him frown down at the water. I discreetly snake my hand behind his back. He jumps at the contact, and before he realizes it, he goes down with a -

 ** _SPLASH!_**

SH!I watch him go down with a scream. His arms flailing at every direction. I cackle at him when I see his emerald green head pop up from the water.

From the distance, I see him glaring up at me accusingly, " ** _HEY! THAT'S NOT FUNNY!_** What was _that_ even for?!" he screams.

I laugh a little more, I shrug one shoulder cooly, "I don't know!" I shout for him to hear me properly, "For fun, I guess."

I see him roll his eyes, attempting to stifle a chuckle that's probably erupting from his throat.

"You know, you're fun to play with, Lion Boy!"

Okay. Maybe he's not the brave and fearsome warrior all of the time. _But man!_ _He sure is fun to toy with!_

* * *

 **And there you go! Sorry this took so long. Super busy! Plus, it's a lot of writing and planning. And don't worry, that scene with the flowchart at the end happened. But it happened after Jewel was analyzed. I hope you guys like it. This was a lot of work and patience! Also, to show how truly sorry I am, I will let you guys write any scene you'd like. It can be one about Jewel and Leo. Or just another random scene. BPP OUT!**


	9. Never Say Xever

**Hello people of earth! I had a little hard time typing this in, but it was worth it! And Clare... Of course I would love to use your OC! Just send me her profile soon, 'kay?! Anyway, here you go!**

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

Jewel stretched in her room. She did a few yoga poses and did a few katas and sliced with her tanto. She tried relaxing her muscles a bit. They felt tight and tired from all the stress. Then, she walked over to her door and locked it, echoing off with a _'click'_.

She stood in the center of her. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Jewel lifted her hand, attempting to ignite it. Unfortunately, the hand did not ignite. She tried again, no such luck. She tried a few more times, each and every one of them ending in failure. She sighed in irritation.

 _'How the heck am I going to control these powers if they don't even work?!'_

She grew irritated and frustrated with her powers. Her super strength and speed were working just fine. But, her fire powers kept popping in and popping out. It didn't make any sense! She focused her other two powers, but her fire powers wouldn't stop going haywire!

She sighed, "Maybe Donnie knows." she muttered to herself.

She walked into the purple banded brothers' lab. She slid open the door and saw the genius brother at work with a few chemicals and beakers. She smirked.

She super speeded to him, and before he could react, she lifted him up along with the chair he was sitting out with one arm.

 _"Aah! Jewel, PUT ME **DOWN!** " _he yelled, flailing his arms and feet around. She smirked dangerously, "As you wish."

And with that, she abruptly dropped him and the chair, making the chair crushed and Donnie landing on his back, groaning. Once he had recovered, he glared up at the raven haired girl, "What the heck was _that_ for!"

She shrugged, "I got bored. And I have a question about these little flame joints in me." she explained, holding out her arm and examining it a bit. He stood up, "What's wrong? They're not working again?"

"Um, okay here's the thing, they're _working_ all right, but not when I want it to."

He sat her down in the table, taking out his X-Ray, "Hmmm, well, it seems to me that your powers seem to be linked to your emotions. Your fire powers react when you're mad, excited. And you're super strength and speed seem to only work when you want them to, physically of course ."

She raised an eyebrow, "Erm, I have no idea what any of that meant. Please explain it in English please. Even though I might've tuned out most of the conversation."

He gives her a deadpan look, "I'm saying that you aren't inclined with your emotions. You have to be more calm and it might come more naturally for you. Did you tune that out?"

She shook her head, "Nope. But you did just bore me to death, so thank you." she grabbed one of his beakers, much to Donnie's confusion, and walked.

As she left, she dropped the beaker, shattering it to pieces, before saying, "Hashtag I broke your glass."

Donnie frowned, groaning.

"We gotta get that girl some therapy."

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

April and I were walking on the street to some noodle shop in the night. Just to be clear, this was April's idea, not mine. I mean, with everything that happened, what kind of _idiot -!_

"You know I can hear you, right?"

I abruptly stop walking and snap my head to April. So hard that I could've fractured my neck.

"How much did you hear?" I ask, raising a brow. She crossed her arms and gave me a stern glare, "Just the 'idiot' part."

"Oh right. Sorry. I didn't realize I was talking... but my voice is beautiful, right?" I grin like a maniac.

She rolls her eyes, "When you sing, yes. When you talk, it's either funny or annoying." I frown at her before folding my arms on my chest, "Well, I think I'm pretty darn cute." I look to the side, "Buzz kill."

 _"I heard that."_

 _"Wasn't talking to you."_

She starts to look annoyed, "You guys wanna speed it up a little?" she turns to the guys, placing a hand on her hip.

"I almost forgot they were coming with us." I mutter. All of the guys were standing behind a bunch of places in front of some theater.

"Are you say turtles are slow?" D asks. I see Mikey pout, "That's a hurtful stereotype."

I glare teasingly at April, "Nice going." I turn to the guys, "Just do a fake laugh and hide the real pain."

"Trust us, April. We are better off keeping a _low_ profile. We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist." Lion Boy replies.

I raise an eyebrow, "Wait, but if they don't know that you guys exist..." I narrow my eyes in thought, "... then how do they know how to treat you?"

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change." April says, beaming.

"What in the world are you talking about? They always go out and so do I."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but she's right. We go out all the time." Raph says. I do a fake gasp, dramatically placing a hand in my chest, "The mighty and great Raphael agrees with me? I'm _shocked!_ "

That little line causes everyone to bark a laugh. Raph growls at me while I hauntingly smirk at him.

April shakes her head and rolls her eyes, "Yeah, but tonight you're going to do something _besides_ hitting people. And you never go out for fun."

I cross my arms, "I went to the movies with Nicole."

"Yeah, like once."

"Still counts."

"No, it doesn't."

"Coffee with Gwen."

"Once."

"Meeting with Lucy Leal."

"Business."

"Yeah, well... well... well that still _counts as going out. So, stick it in your -"_

 _"Jewel!"_

I turn my head to Leo. They all give me a shameful look, shaking their heads. I see Leo mouthing something to me:

 _Okay, we get it. You go out, let's just drop it for now._

I pout and put my hands up in surrender, "Whatever." I mutter, "But it looks like Raphie won't get to hit anybody." I tease.

 _"Aww."_

April chuckles, "Don't worry. You're going to love this noodle place I found."

"And you're sure we'll be welcomed?" Donnie asks, tapping his fingers against the... whatever it's called.

I place a hand on my hip, "And you sure he won't flirt with me? That's happened like..." I count my fingers in my head, "Five thousand times already."

"Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even _know_ what you look like. He's blind."

Mikey smiles, "Awesome!" Raph hits him over the head, "... I mean for us, obviously."

I shake my head while rolling my eyes.

Suddenly, we hear glass shattering and some grunting. _What the...?_

We run up to the restaurant. We see three Chinese guys beating up to what I assumed to be the blind chef. I groan.

 _Is it too much to ask for one night off!_

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

The turtles and Jewel crash in through the door, taking a fighting stance.

"Booyakasha!"

The Purple Dragons pause to look at them, "Huh?"

Leo glares at them threateningly, "All right, let him go. You don't want any trouble."

Raph smirks, "We, on the other hand, do."

"Whoa, those guys were serious! There really are giant turtles!" the leader, Fong, says.

Mikey's glare falters into a smile, "You've heard of us?" he turns to his brothers and Jewel, "Dudes! We're famous!"

"That's bad!"

"Um, I'm new at this, but I'm pretty sure you guys are supposed to be a secret."

The Purple Dragons turned to Jewel. They smirk and whistle flirtatiously at her.

"Whoa, check it out!" the smallest one says, pointing at her.

The biggest one nods and smirks, "It's that bikini supermodel!"

The leader smirks, "Hey, why don't you come to our hideout and teach us a few of your moves in your bikini, you fine looking lady?"

Leonardo growls while his brothers attempt to hold back a few snorts. Jewel narrows her eyes at them.

She smirks, "Sorry. But, a bunch of freshman class wannabes aren't really much of my type! And I'm way out of your leagues!" she retorts.

The turtles all laugh with a few 'oohs'

He clenched his fists, "Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours! So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from and strut back to your runway."

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

"It's also a _catwalk!_ " I remark.

"Actually, we're _freshwater_ turtles! I suspect that we're derived from the diamond terrapin. But, it's impossible we're a common box -"

I roll my eyes. _Last line, Donatello!_

 _"Get 'em!"_

The one with the ponytail charges at us. Mikey lands a kick on him. Leo ducks to his knees and nods at me. I nod back. I front flip on him, landing my foot to the leader's face. Raph takes on the ponytail one, D, Mikes, and I take on the big one, while Leo takes on the leader.

Mikey kicks him, I punch him, and Donnie trips him onto the floor. When he gets up, I lean on the counter and kick him with both of my legs. He and Donnie engage on a hand to hand combat. I see Mikey getting distracted by the soup. D kicks him to Mikey. He punches him behind, D knees him on the stomach, I check my nails and kick him between the legs and D punches him while he looks at his fingers. Both of us our smiling and acting distracted. _These guys are really easy to beat. It's way too funny_! The guy falls to the floor while groaning, holding where I kicked him. I fold my arms, smirking, "Are we too much for ya, sweetheart? Or do you want a little more?"

I start to fight the one with the ponytail. He swings his hammer at me, I quickly back flip, "Hey! Watch it buddy!"

He smirks at me, "Hey, _Hottie_ , why don't you show a guy how to tango with such a beautiful girl much like yourself?"

I glare at him. I super speed behind him. He jumps at the sudden wind, I yank his ponytail to make him face me and I head bump him. He gets up and tries to land a hit on me, before a plate gets thrown at him, making him fall.

I look to see April. I give her a thumbs up, "Thanks Apes!"

She smiles from the counter, "You're welcome."

I hear a beep from my phone before the big one charges at me. I answer it while fighting him.

"Hello?" I say, punching the big one on the gut.

"Hello, my little Scarlet Moon!" I hear my agent say. I do a roundhouse kick on the guy, making him fall to the floor again.

"Umm, do you mind cutting to the chase, William? A little busy right now." I throw my phone in the air and elbow the guy in the stomach before tripping him. I catch my phone, "I was just calling to tell you that the photo shoot is in the very next month on the twenty fifth. So, be sure you don't get fat or earn any scars, alright sugar moon?"

I scratch the guy on the cheek, "Got it. Bye." I hang up. Suddenly, I see all of the Purple Dragons running towards the exit.

The leader stops and points at us, "This ain't over, greeny! And Hottie," he does a phone sigh with his hand, "Call me." and he runs off.

I throw my arms in exasperation, "You know, people, I do more than bikini covers!"

Seriously?! I don't always do bikinis! **_AND MY DANG NAME ISN'T HOTTIE! WHY DO ALL OF THE BAD GUYS CALL ME THAT?!_** What, just because I'm a model, means I have to be called that?! How insulting!

"Greeny? Really? I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that." D replies.

Raph walks up to Leo, "You just let him go? What the heck was that?!"

"They weren't exactly a threat. They'd had enough." Leo replies.

"Yeah, Raph. Trust me, even _Nicole_ could've beaten them. And she gets scared when a _pillow_ is thrown at her." I reply, leaning against the counter. Leo smiles at me in gratitude and I smirk in a non teasing way.

" _Dude!_ They were beating up a _blind_ guy! There's no _'enough'_. Now they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job!" Raph fires back. I roll my eyes, "Oh, just give it a rest, Raphael! Murakami's okay and that's all that matters."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see April and Murakami walk out of a different room. "Wow! That was great, you guys!"

I proudly blow on my nails, "I do my best."

Donnie smiles at her, "Thanks, April. Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool?" he chuckles, "I bet it looked cool." I do a face palm, clicking my tongue.

"Seriously, Donnie." I mutter, loud enough for only Leo to hear. He snickers a bit, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"The coolest!" she replies, looking away from him nervously. I whisper to Leo, "No, she didn't."

He droops his shoulders, "You didn't see it, did you?"

"No, I did not."

Lion Boy and I almost bark a laugh, bursting into giggles instead. Donnie blushes and glares at us. He grabs a piece of paper from the counter, writing something on it before giving it to Leo. He reads it and blushes a deep red. Everyone gets a closer look at it and burst out laughing and pointing at him. April whispers what it said to Murakami and he laughs as well. I raise an eyebrow, stretching my neck out a bit to get a closer look. Leo notices and quickly ducks it behind him. I smirk at him, "Why don't you want me to read it, Lion Boy?" I ask. He blushes even more, "Umm, 'c-cause it's not... important?" he stutters. I send him a confused look, folding my arms against my chest. Everyone starts to snort. I look at everyone and they all smirk and shrug playfully at me. I smirk at all of them before winking.

I use my super speed to grab it from him. He yelps and jumps a bit, accidentally dropping the paper. I quickly snatch it from the floor, unfolding it before a three fingered hand snatches it from me. I turn around to see Leo with his hands folded behind his back, smiling sheepishly at me. I narrow my eyes, slowly walking over to him, "What's wrong, Lion Boy? Don't want me to see the letter!" I super speed behind him again, but this time, he quickly turns around and walks backward.

"J-Jewel, trust me. It's really n-not anything i-interesting." he tries to say, wincing at the sound of his voice and trying to smile. I cross my arms, playfully quirking a brow, "Oh, really? Then how come everyone else got to see it?"

His eyes widen and he laughs nervously, looking over behind me and glaring at someone. I turn around to see he's glaring at Donnie, who gives a smug smile and shrugs at him. I smirk and front flip a few times. I push Leo to the ground, landing on top of him and snatching the note from him, **_"HA!"_**

I quickly unfold the paper, and read:

 _Oh, like you wouldn't -_

I feel two arms around my waist, and I see Leo smirking up at me and he lifts me off of him and grabs the paper. Before I can grab it from him again, he quickly crumbles it up and shoves it into his mouth, chewing it.

Everyone bursts out laughing and I pout at him. He smiles sheepishly and his face almost looks like a tomato and shrugs at me. I giggle, shaking my head and rolling my eyes, "Whatever. But, next time," I point my index finger at him, "You better watch your back." I warn him.

"My friends, I'm indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge." Mr. Murakami says.

Raph smirks while crossing his arms, "I think we can allow that."

He smiles, "What is your favorite dish?" he asks. I roll my eyes, _"In 3... 2... 1 -"_

 ** _"PIZZA!"_**

I slide over to the chef, "I can always accept cash. Maybe a two hundred dollar bill -"

April glares, _"Jewel!"_

I smile sheepishly, "I mean... pizza's always good." I chuckle while April shakes her head. Murakami smiles warmly and pats my head.

All of us were sitting. We were waiting for Murakami to finish up the food. I kind of dreaded to eat whatever pizza dish. I don't eat pizza or I've never eaten pizza. I wasn't really allowed to and I don't really like the meats on it. We see him speed over to different areas, shaking and stirring a bunch of pots. He rolls up dough and throws it into the air. Then he slices it all up. We all beam at him.

"Murakami-san, that was awesome!" Donnie says. I nod rapidly, "I think you move way faster than me!"

"You're like a ninja, but for food!" Mikey complements.

He throws what looks like dumplings to us. We all stare at it.

"Pizza gyoza." he announces. I raise an eyebrow.

"Pizza gyoza?" April asks.

The turtles pick up their chopsticks and toss it into their mouths. Their eyes bulge out of their heads, before they all churn. I roll my eyes skywards, "Oh, good grief." I mutter. I poke my food with my sticks, frowning.

"Wow!"

"Delish!"

"It's like I got a one way ticket to Flavorville!"

"This is really good too, you know." April says, holding up a bowl of noodles. They all look at her before going back to their food. I shake my head. I pick up the gyoza, experimentally sniffing it. I put it back down.

"Uh, Murakami-san, do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?" Lion Boy asks.

Murakami-san sighs, "Yes. They demand protection money, but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."

Raph turns to glare at Leo, "Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't wimped out!"

I glare at him, "Shut it, Raph!"

Leo looks down dejectedly, I pat his shoulder, earning a weak smile. Suddenly, a pair of chopsticks snatch his gyozas and Leo turns to glare at Mikey, who smiles sheepishly and chews his food. I roll my eyes and slide my plate to him, "Here. Have mine."

He shakes his head and gives it back, "Thanks, but it's yours."

I slide it back to him, "I don't really like pizza, so you take it. No exceptions or I'll force Donnie to tell me what he wrote to you."

His eyes widen and he gives me a lopsided smile, "Thanks." he mutters.

Murakami-san frowns, "Julia-chan, you do not like pizza gyozas?"

I shake my head, "I, umm, I don't want to be rude, Murakami-san, but I'm a vegan. I don't eat anything that comes from an animal. I'm sorry."

He smiles warmly at me, "It is alright. But, please, what is _your_ favorite food?"

"Oh, here we go." I hear Raph mutter, but I ignore him, "Strawberries and blueberries. Well... any kind of berry. Except for poisonous ones, obviously."

He smiles at me, "Aah! Then, I have just the treat for you. Wait here, please."

A few seconds later, he comes back with plate of a bunch of berries. He places it in front of me. My eyes widen at it, it was large tower of berries from strawberries, to blueberries, to raspberries, even to blackberries!

He smiles, "I like to call it, 'Tower of Berries'."

I smile at him. I clap my hands together and close my eyes and bow my head, _"Itadakimasu."_

I grab my chopsticks and take a bite. My eyes widen, "Awesome tower! It's like a bush berry was thrown into my taste buds!"

He chuckles, "Thank you."

* * *

All of us were back at the lair. I was reading the end of 'Animal Farm'. So compelling. I loved how in the end, everyone couldn't tell the difference between the pigs and the man since the pigs were slowly acting like the man, even though they despised them. How ironic.

I see Lion Boy hitting the punching dummy. He's probably, most likely, obviously still mad about what happened. Stupid Raph. I'm starting to get really frustrated with him. I'm almost up to the tip of my head with him. I see Gwen pop a seat next to me. "Animal Farm again? You really are a nerd." she retorts. I roll my eyes, "Shut your dumb pie hole, grunge. At least I have good taste when it comes to books. And you can barely read."

She pouts, "You shut up, psycho. At least _my_ boyfriend didn't show any weakness like _yours_ did."

I smirk at her, "So, you finally admit it. Raphie's your little boyfriend." I say in a high pitched voice. She blushes and glares at me. I glare back, "And he's not my boyfriend, stupid. He's like a brother to me..." I trail. I don't get it. Why do I feel a pang of regret when I say Leo's like my brother?

She rolls her eyes, "Whatever, loser. I still say Raph's right. They were beating up a _blind_ guy. You can't show any weakness. How dumb is your boyfriend." she scoffs, "I think _Raph_ should've been leader. Not Lion Boy."

"Well, I see Raph came crying to you. The big baby usually complains to Spike. He needs to get over it. Leo is the right choice. Raph being leader would just be a mistake." I retort, crossing my arms.

She grinds her teeth, _"Leo's a mistake."_

I growl at her, my whole head turning on fire. Everyone, except for Gwen, flinch and look at us.

"Julia?" I hear Splinter say.

"I think you should leave. We really don't need or _want_ you here." I say in a scary calm voice.

Her eyes widen in sadness and hurt but then back to anger as she stands up and stomps out of the lair.

Everyone looks on in concern.

 _Sometimes... I wonder why Gwen and I are friends._

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

April and Jewel walked up to an elderly man sweeping with a broom. They scanned the area, "We're looking for the Purple Dragons."

The man looked at her in fear, he waved his hand at her dismissively, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jewel shoved April out of the way, grabbing the collar of the man's shirt with both of her hands, "Tell us where they are, punk! Or you're gonna -"

 _"Jewel!"_

Jewel snapped her head to April, who was waving her hand in front of her neck, as a signal for Jewel not to do that. She groaned and let go of him.

"Don't worry, we -" she looked over shoulder to look at Jewel, who raised a confused eyebrow, " _I_ can protect you." she said, earning a flick on the ear by Jewel, who pouted behind her.

"I'm an undercover cop, and she's, well... she's just a nut job cop."

" _Ha!_ Fake laugh, hiding real pain." Jewel said, pointing at her lips while smirking. April rolled her eyes in annoyance. It amazes her how Jewel can be calm under pressure... and isn't in a mental institution.

"You like you're both sixteen." he said, leaning in to get a closer look. Jewel folded her arms across her chest, "And you like you're - _Oompf!_ " she was elbowed in the stomach by April, who looked at her nails, "I know. We're really good at this." she leaned her hand in on a fish stand, accidentally dropping all of them.

She chuckled nervously and blushed, a drop of sweat appearing on her forward. Jewel snorted at this, pointing at April, who kept on glaring at her.

The old man held his hand out, raising a suspicious brow, "Let me see your badges."

"Alright, I've had enough of your -!"

 _"Jewel!"_

Jewel turned to face April, "Oh, come on! He's taking too long!"

 _"Jewel!"_

Jewel groaned and stepped away from the man.

"Are you crazy like her over here? We can't carry a badge, that would blow our cover." April lied.

He narrowed his eyes in thought, scratching his left temple, "I suppose that makes sense." he said uncertainly. April smirked in triumph.

After a few minutes, the girls got out information they needed.

"What the heck was that all about?" April asked Jewel. Jewel merely shrugged, "I honestly thought we were doing a 'bad cop, good cop' thing."

April glared, "You were acting like a complete lunatic."

Jewel laughed and walked forward, "The past is past." she said in a sing-song voice.

April huffed in exasperation, _'Man! She loved Jewel like a little sister, but she was a handful most of the time.'_ she thought to herself

* * *

" _There_ he is." Raph said, pointing to the Purple Dragon's leader, Fong. The turtles and Jewel follow them. They spy on a conversation that is going on.

"We saw the gang of turtles and that really hot bikini model you were looking for. And we'll tell you where... _for a price._ "

Suddenly, the turtles and Jewel busted through the large window. They all flipped over their heads and landed with narrowed eyes and their weapons drawn at the Dragons.

"Freeze, dirt-bags!" Leo shouted, both of his swords aimed for the Dragons -

 _What the...?_

Jewel, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey's eyes widened at the sight of Shredder's two henchmen and a... **_another one?!_**

Standing behind the two goons, was a girl. She had dark skin, dark brown eyes, and her hair styled in a pixie cut. Her hair was brown with lighter highlights of brown. Her eyeliner was styled similarly to Cleopatra's, and she had dark grey eyeshadow and bright red lipstick. She had black leather skinny jeans, much like Jewel, dark black boots, black fingerless gloves, and a black leather jacket.

"Uh oh." Leo said.

"I think we can find them ourselves." the Brazilian man, Xever, said before his and Bradford's and the girl's direction turned towards Jewel. Both men smirked at her, "Aah. What a relief. They've brought their gorgeous kuniochi."

Bradford chuckled, "If only I was fifteen. That girl would be my arm candy."

The girl rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip, "That's _all_ she's good for."

Jewel growled and narrowed her eyes at them, tightening her grip on her tanto, "I'd watch it if I were you. I actually have quite the surprise for all of you." she smirked.

"Oh, man. This is awkward. It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend. And... that _other_ guy... and that... girl we don't know." Mikey stammered, pointing to them.

Xever smirked smugly at them, "The name is Xever. So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells," he flicked out two knives from his belt, grinning with satisfaction, "... with _these!_ "

The girl behind him scoffed, "Name's Veronica. And I'll be the last thing you see before your fatal demise, _Hottie!_ " she unsheathed two metal kamas from behind her, poised at Jewel.

Jewel's eyes narrowed at Veronica, growling as if she were a wolf on the prowl, snarling at her with her tanto poised at Veronica.

And without any warning, the opposed team of bad guys charged at the model and turtles. Jewel shoved the leader out of the way with ease, running towards Veronica.

Both of the girls metal weapons clashed against one another, the ringing of the metal piercing through their ears as it was a strong and hard blow. Veronica winced at the sound a bit, giving Jewel the advantage. She quickly sliced her sword away, kicking Veronica in the gut. She landed onto the floor, holding her aching stomach. She noticed Jewel charging at her and quickly rolled away, flipping her feet on the floor.

Both girls bartered swift, hard, and smooth blows. Jewel managed to slice Veronica's left shoulder, earning a hard scratch, oozing with a little blood. Veronica winced, biting back a small yelp of pain. _'Dang! That girl slices a sword hard!'_ she thought.

Jewel smirked in smug satisfaction, flicking her tanto a bit, "Whoops. Sorry." then, she cackled, "No I'm not!"

Veronica growled, charging at the former gymnast with one of her kamas. Jewel quickly back flipped over her head, accidentally throwing a fireball at the dark skinned girl. Veronica quickly dodged it, flipping to her left. Her jaw dropped open, "What?!"

"You know, I'm more than a model. I used to be one of the best gymnasts. I was on the winning team, the Night Wolves." she chuckled fondly at the memories, "Aah. Still a winning team."

Suddenly, Veronica felt a gust of wind behind her. She then felt a painful kick to her back and landed painfully on her face, groaning.

"Turtles! Fall back!" Leo yelled.

"We're giving up?! _Again?!_ Are you _kidding_ me?!"

Leo swung from the support beams, attempting to evade the knives and shurikens being thrown at them, "Yes, it's all part of my hilarious _'let's all live'_ routine!" he retorted, he jerked his head to the window at Jewel, "Jewel! We're leaving, come on!"

Jewel looked at him and back to Veronica, whose blows she was evading. She jumped on her side to kick both legs at Veronica, making her fall again. She quickly flipped and swung from the support beams and followed after the turtles.

Veronica looked up, glaring hotly at her, **_"HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"_** she screamed, clenching her fists.

"Stay and fight, you cold blooded _cowards!_ " Xever shouted, not looking very pleased.

* * *

Apart from the beeping games and Jewel's music playing from her room, the lair was utterly and deathly silent.

All four turtles and Jewel sat at the pit of their living room. None spoke to one another. All of them looked downcast. Jewel sat next to Leonardo, sitting with one leg on top of the other, a hand on her cheek and her head tilted to the right.

Raph stood from his position and punched the dummy, "Man, could that fight have been any more _embarrassing?_ "

"Sure. We could have been in the face with pies." Mikey said. Jewel simply rolled her eyes.

Raph glared at him for a few seconds and growled. Leo sighed and stood up, "It's called fighting _smart,_ Raph. The Purple Dragons have Bradford and Xever,"

"And that weird girl, Veronica." Jewel deadpanned.

Leo briefly looked over to her, nodding in thanks, before continuing on, "...on their side now. Last time, we barely beat those guys. We were lucky that Jewel could outmatch Veronica."

Raph walked over to him, "Yeah, because they're willing to fight to the finish. The only way to beat them is to be just as _ruthless as they are!_ "

 _"Raphael."_

Both turtles jumped and spun their heads to see Master Splinter walking from the dojo,"This _'Xever'_ can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him _strong._ "

Jewel narrowed her eyes in thought, _'Didn't I used to do that? Back when I was a m -'_

"But Xever wins fights. And he never shows anyone mercy." Raph complained.

Leo looked down at the floor questionably, _'Did I do the right thing or not?'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

"Please! Please! I helped you find the turtles and that hot friend of theirs, didn't I?" Fong pleaded.

Xever and Veronica glared, _"Idiota!"_ he yelled in Spanish, "You led them to our _hideout!_ "

Veronica smashed Fong's head against the statue, causing him to groan.

Xever crossed his arms while Bradford leaned against a table with his arms folded on his chest, "So much for your street connections." he looked over to Veronica, "And your skills as a kuniochi." he insulted, making her pout and blush.

He continued on, "You really think these common hoodlums can tell us anything useful?" he asked.

"They better." Xever yanked Fong's head out of the statue, "Where'd you see those turtles?!"

Veronica chimed in, "And the former gymnast!"

Fong whimpered in fear, "The east village!" he said quickly, "Some old man's noodle shop, Murakami's! We were roughing him up and they jumped in to protect him!" he fearfully explained.

Veronica smirked, "Oh, really?" she asked.

Bradford scoffed, walking over to them, "Big deal. How are you going to make sure the turtles don't get away again. And have that pretty little gymnast lose to Veronica?"

Xever smirked, "Easy. I'll give them a reason to stay. But, I can't help Veronica beat Hottie. Oy! How much I want to taste those sweet lips of hers. Jewel is quite a fitting name for her."

Veronica snarled, _"Would you two quit it already?! It's not my fault. She just... caught me off guard!_ "

Both Xever and Bradford bursted out laughing, "Yeah, right!"

* * *

 _"Sweet! Free knife!"_

 _"The note, dummy."_

The turtles and Jewel were at Murakami's restaurant. April had called them and claimed that he was kidnapped.

Leo ripped the note off the knife and read it aloud:

 _No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof of the fortune cookie factory. P.S tell Hottie to give Veronica all she's got._

Jewel scoffed and rolled her eyes. _'Still mad that I beat you, Pooronica?'_ she thought to herself. It was rather amusing. Although, both Veronica and Jewel were evenly matched. Yes, Jewel is a full fledged kuniochi. All she had to do was learn a few more moves.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Raph asked, "Let's bust in there and save Murakami."

"Not so fast. Think, Raphael. There's two words that don't usually go together. This is obviously a trap." Leo explained.

"Well, what choice do we have?" Raph asks.

"Maybe we do need to act more like Xever."

"But Master Splinter said -"

"I know, but Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He's got to learn that we can cross the line too." Leonardo crossed his arms, "No more 'Mr. Nice Turtle'.

Jewel snorted while Raph pumped his fist, "Yes! I never liked 'Mr. Nice Turtle'."

* * *

"We're here, Xever!" Leo yelled, "Let the noodle man go." he said.

Xever and Veronica smirked at them, "Sorry. There's been another change of plans."

All of them smirked, except for Jewel, "Actually, there's been another change of plans!"

"I love it when a change of plans comes together."

Mikey sliced off the chains and revealed to them all what was inside the trashcan they were holding.

Veronica eyes widened and she almost bursted into a hysterical fit of uncontrollable giggles. Jewel held her head in her hands while groaning, "Please don't be serious." she muttered to herself.

Leo had his arms across his chest, "You let _our_ friend go, we'll let _your_ friend go."

"You are." Jewel muttered.

Xever laughed, " _Ha!_ He's not my friend!" he snorted. Jewel glared at the turtles, "You... _idiotas._ " she mumbled.

The four turtles shared an _'uh oh'_ look with each other.

Xever walked over to the blind chef, flicking his wrist to grab his knife before slowly cutting the rope.

Raph pushed Bradford closer to the edge of the roof. "Uh, we're not kidding." Leo tried to insist weakly, "Okay, s-stop! _Or we'll toss him!_ "

Xever merely shrugged nonchalantly, "Go ahead. It'll save me the trouble!"

Bradford's muffled angry protest went unheard by everyone except for Jewel, "Zip it, Norris! The adults are talking."

Leo hesitantly turned back to Raph, "Uh, Raph?"

"Aw, crud."

He tossed the man back onto the roof. Xever noticed and stopped cutting the rope. Jewel sighed in relief, "Man, that would have been _a lot_ of goop to clean up." she mumbled to herself.

She took a glance at Veronica, glaring. An animalistic growl erupted from Jewel's chest, slowly unsheathing her tanto.

 ** _"Attack!"_**

Jewel and Veronica once again charged for each other. Both of their weapons clashed against one another. Both kuniochi's engaged in a fierce battle against each other.

Veronica smirked, "Did you really think that would work?"

Jewel glared and slashed her tanto at her opponent, "What, tying up Bradford and holding him hostage?"

Veronica laughed, "Sounds even stupider when _you_ say it."

Jewel grounded her teeth together as she launched a fist straight at Veronica's face followed by a solid kick that almost sent her off the edge of the building.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight! I didn't agree to that! I told them that all it would is nothing. And they still did it! _So stick that in your cauldron and smoke it!"_

Veronica ran full speed at Jewel, sending both of them skidding across the rooftop, she attempted to punch her in the face, only to be stopped by the gymnast's hand, **_"Not the face! Anywhere but the face!"_**

Suddenly, Jewel kicked her in the stomach, pointing her tanto at her throat. She goes in for the finishing blow, but stops herself. _'What am I doing?'_ she asked herself, _'I'm about to reveal to the guys of what - no, who I used to be. I can't let them find out this way!'_

She settled in for punching Veronica repeatedly in the face, blood spewing out of the corner of her mouth.

Suddenly, Veronica kicks her in the gut. She slices her kamas at her, but Jewel quickly rolls away.

Veronica goes in for a punch and Jewel suddenly blocks it over her shoulder **_extremely fast!_**

"What...?" Veronica whispers. She goes in for a few more punches, Jewel blocking them with her super speed. Jewel smirks, an idea forming in her head. She pushes and kicks Veronica incredibly fast, using her super speed on her fists and legs. She successfully lands her targets.

She looks at her fist, "Whoa... that was pretty cool." she chuckles, "Must be sad day for you, Noodle legs. What are you, like... sixteen?" she joked, tilting her head to the left and smirking.

Veronica growled, **_"Do you ever stop talking?!"'_**

"No. Why would I? My voice is absolutely _beautiful._ "

* * *

The turtles and Jewel were back at Murakami's. They had saved him thanks to Fong going mercy on them. He handed the turtles a bag and Jewel a box.

"Accept this token of my gratitude. Pizza gyoza and Tower of Berries."

 _"Gracias."_ Jewel said in her Spanish accent. The turtles all look at her. She shrugged nonchalantly, "One quarter of Hispanic."

"Awesome! Thanks, Murakami-san." Donatello said.

"You're welcome, turtle-san."

The turtles eyes widen, "Wait, how did you -"

"I have other senses. Touch, _smell._ "

They all look to Mikey. He lifted his arm and sniffles it and shrugs sheepishly. Jewel grimaced and shook her head.

"I do know Julia-san isn't a turtle. But, I sense she has a kind heart and a complicated insanity."

Jewel smirked, "I do my best."

Leo chuckled, "You don't think we're weird and scary?"

Jewel raised an eyebrow, "And that I'm partially annoying?"

Murakami chuckled, "You saved my life. Who am I to complain? And I find you incredibly funny to be around."

The turtles and Jewel smile at him.

* * *

Jewel walked into the dojo, finding Leo there with his hands in his lap and his crissed crossed. He had his eyes closed and he sighed in content. To her, he looked... at peace.

She walked up to him, careful to not make a sound.

"Yes, Jewel?"

She jumped a bit, startled, "How'd you know it was me?"

Both of his eyes opened, "Just a feeling, I guess."

She smiled, placing her hands on her knees, "What ya doing?" she asked in a sing song voice.

He chuckled up at her, "Mediating." he looked off to the side, "You wanna try?" he asked her timidly, careful for her not see his blush. _Why was it always this girl that made him nervous?!_

She rubbed her arm, "I don't know how. Never learned. Never had the time." she replied softly, like an angel to Leonardo.

He smirked, an idea coming to mind, "I can teach you. You have the time now."

Jewel tilted her head, she stared at him for a few minutes before shrugging, "Okay. Worth a shot." she took a seat in front of him, "And Donnie said I need to be at peace with my fire powers."

Leo smiled and took both of his hands in hers. He blushed at the contact. It's so... _soft..._

He cleared his throat, "Okay, close your eyes and relax. Think of your happy place."

She sighed, nodding. She closed her eyes and let herself relax and thought of the one place that always made her happy.

* * *

Jewel suddenly found herself in a meadow. It had many trees surrounding it with her favorite pink blossoms. One fell at the bridge of her nose. She gently grabbed it and starred at the faded pink petal. Her eyes widened. She scanned at where she was.

This was... _this was her meadow._

The meadow she walked through when she was little. Back when she was in Japan. She used to run down here and played with Dolly. She had tea parties there with Dolly and her other stuffed animals. She played with her friends. It was a blast.

"Nice isn't, my princess?" a familiar voice called out.

Her breath hitched and she slowly to turn around to find her... her...

 _"Daddy?"_ she whisphered. He smiled warmly at her as he always did, "It's me."

She felt her eyes prickle and she ran towards him, hugging him with all of her might. "I can't believe that you're here." she whispered, sniffing.

He chuckled, "Well, I'm glad I am."

"What are you doing here?"

"This is your happy place, princess. I figured I would be here." he chuckled.

She reluctantly pulled away, "I really miss you, dad. I don't know how my life got so messed up. But, my life would still be okay if you were still here."

He gently caressed her ear, "Sweetheart, your life was messed up _until_ you found the turtles and started living with them. It's starting to look good. And you don't have to miss me, Julia. I'm right here. I'm _always_ here. I'll _always be here_. In here." he prodded her chest, mean her heart.

She sighed, "I don't know why. But, my fire powers aren't working when I want them to."

He looked at her sympathetically, "You know why."

She raised an eyebrow, "I do?"

He nodded, "You need to tell the turtles the truth."

Her eyes widen, "You mean... about my -"

"Yes, about that. You won't be able to keep it a secret for longer. Eventually, you're gonna have to tell them."

"I know. And I will. When I'm ready."

"Good. I love you, Jewel."

"I love you too, Dad."

* * *

"Jewel?" she heard someone call out.

She opened her eyes to find Leo staring at her. She smiles at him, "I think it worked." she holds out her hand in front of her, she stares at it for a few seconds, before a flame ignites and dispersed. She does this a few times, smirking in triumph. Leo smiled at her, "Nice job." he says, helping her stand. She smiles at him, "Thank you. Oh and Leo?"

They both stop at the door, he raises an eyebrow at her, "Yeah?"

She shrugged, "Nothing. Never mind."

And with that, both exit and head towards the kitchen. She glances at him a few times.

She would tell him. She would tell _all_ of them. Tell them what she really is. Soon. They will know.

 _Know the secret part of her past._

* * *

 **There you go! Sorry about the OC ambush. There's another girl in the Foot besides Karai. And Clare, I can't wait to read about your OC! Bye!**


	10. The Gauntlet

**What up, my peeps?! I'm SUPER excited for this chapter! And Also, I have a little surprise for all of you: Yep, that's right! Another OC! I know, a lot in one season, huh? Don't worry, this is probably the last one for now. Maybe I'll take OC requests in later episodes so I don't rush anything. Or I'll take OC requests for other stories and future seasons. Okay, this very OC, does NOT belong to me! She was created by Clare. So, Thank you, Clare, for suggesting this to me. I think your OC sounds awesome. Anyways, here's Clare's OC Profile:**

 **Full Name: Clara Kyle**

 **Age: 15**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Species: Half Human/ Half Shadow**

 **Personality: Sarcastic, selfish, troublemaker, funny, fun, free spirited, mischievous, thrill seeker, sexy, loves shiny things**

 **Looks: Dark brown hair in a bun, Asian features, light blue eyes, a black skin tight leather suit, combat boots, a black scarf over her mouth to cover half of her face, black eyeshadow, red lipstick**

 **Weapons/ Powers: A whip, shadow powers, shadow claws, Teleportation**

 **Family: Her mother (she's a murderous villain, but she still cares and loves for her daughter)**

 **Friends: Jewel (Childhood friends), Brittney (She's a shy but kind girl Clara hangs out with a lot and she's close with her. She's secretly good at hacking into stuff so she helps Clara steal stuff from the side lines in her house on her computer, Clara wears a cam-link so she she can talk to Brittney to tell her if the coast is clear.), and Leatherhead (she owes him a favor for saving her life.)**

 **Likes: Stealing, Diamonds, hanging out with her friends, Jewel, Ice Cream Kitty, her cat and mouse game, Raph (She has this Batman and Catwoman relationship with him, but Raph won't date or love unless she stops stealing, so it's complicated between them)**

 **Dislikes: Good guys stopping her from stealing, Brittney or Jewel getting hurt, Raph's shell wedgies (Uses those to get information out of her every time she steals), bullies, people who try to hurt themselves, The turtles, April, Shredder, Bebop, Rules, Museum guards**

 **Backstory: When Clara was a baby, her dad was a Japanese crime boss trying to take over the Shadow Lady's side of Japan, she killed him but she told him she'll take care of Clara. The Shadow Lady raised and trained Clara. They have a nice relationship because the Shadow Lady cares about Clara. When Clara turned 11, her mom disappeared without a trace, leaving Clara on the streets to defend herself, becoming a master thief. She met Jewel in her gymnastics class when they were 6, so their pretty close even though Clara isn't a model.**

 **There it is! Thanks Clare. Clara sounds awesome and totally the bomb! And today in this episode, we learn more about Jewel than what meets the eye. *winks***

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

I try to think of a way to tell the guys of what I used to be. I just don't know how without making it sound bad! Oh, right. Didn't tell you guys. Okay, here's the truth: I lied. I lied a lot. I was a gymnast and a model, but...I used to be something else. Something else for money. I want to tell the guys. I really do. But...how do I say it without it sounding like a bad thing? I mean, technically, it can be a good thing, but I did a lot more bad things than good things. Ugh! This is all way too confusing! How the heck am I supposed to tell the guys I used to be a -

"Guys! Guys, you'll never believe what happened to me!" I hear April's frantic voice call out. I run out of my room to find her sitting on the couch, wrapping her arms around herself. I see Donnie kneeling in front of her, "Alright, April, calm down. Are you okay?"

"I am being hunted...by a giant pigeon!"

I raise my eyebrows.

A...pigeon?

Raph bursts out laughing. I cross my arms and glare at him as do Leo and Mikey. He pauses at our glares, "I can't be the _only_ one who finds that funny."

"If it was a mutant, then it's not a joke. If it was just a regular bird... then yeah, it would be _kind of_ funny."

Donnie stands up, "It's not funny, Raph. There's a creature out there trying to hurt _my_ April."

We all raise an eyebrow at him, he looks at me in confusion and I discreetly shake my head, mouthing 'no'.

His eyes widen, " _Our_ April." he corrects, he gestures his hands to her, "April."

I chuckle and shake my head, giving him a sarcastic thumbs up.

"This is serious. I'd better get Splinter." Mikey says.

I give him a look, "Why would need Splinter? It's a pigeon. Practically a cakewalk," I chuckle, "Or a _cat_ walk."

"We don't really need -" Mikey throws a smoke bomb, disappearing in a dark purple smoke. Donnie showed me earlier that he made ninja smoke bombs for us. I think it's pretty cool. I haven't really used them in a while. Splinter appears in the misty purple smoke, "Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?"

I roll my eyes and groan.

Really, Mikey?

* * *

 _"You're gonna let him eat April?!"_ Mikey asked in disbelief, shielding her, "I thought you _liked_ her!"

 _"Yeah!"_

"Don't sweat it. We've got your back." Donnie assures her. Lion Boy locks his fists together, "Alright, Mighty Mutants, let's do this." I giggle. _How amusing..._

"Mighty Mutants? What, 'dancing dorks' was already taken?" Raph says. I punch him in the shoulder, making him yelp. He growls at me, I whistle and look away. I hear a beep from my phone, but Leo's voice stops me.

"Jewel, let's go."

I tuck my phone away in my pocket. And we all walk to the entrance to leave.

" _Wait!_ We do not know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him." Splinter says to us. I narrow my eyes in thought at this. Maybe he has a point.

"With all due respect, Sensei, it's a pigeon." Leo reasons.

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy. What you _think_ you know is dangerous to _you_. I fear you are all becoming overconfident."

Are we? I mean, I guess. But...we've been beating a bunch of bad guys butts for the past months.

"Sensei, in the past few months, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas." Leo says. D, Mikes, Raph, and I all high three each other, "Yeah, boy!"

"Maybe we're not overconfident. Maybe we're just that good."

And with that last line, we all leave the lair. But, there's something in the back of my mind telling me something:

Something or _someone_ is coming back from my past.

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

Back in the Shredder's hideout, stood Bradford, Xever, and Veronica. The dog, Hachiko, kept growling at Bradford.

"It's okay, Hachiko. I'm not gonna hurt you." he assured, moving his hand to pet the dog, who only growled and bit him.

"OW!" Bradford yelled out, holding his bleeding hand. Shredder walked up to them.

"He is not pleased with you," his deep and dark booming voice said, "Nor am _I_."

He looked over at the two henchmen and the young kunoichi in disappointment, "I entrusted all three of you with the task of destroying Splinter and his loathsome turtles." he looked over to Veronica, "And to have captured that young gymnast for... an upgrade."

All of them shared confused glances. An upgrade? What was so special about the girl that he wanted for an upgrade?

He walked up to Bradford, who wrapped a gauze bandage around his recently bitten hand, "I spent years molding you in my image, teaching you my darkest secrets, and you shame me with your _incompetence._ "

Bradford sadly looked down in shame. Xever let out a smug chuckle, causing Shredder to swiftly and quickly turn around to face him, _"You!"_ he said, getting closer to him, "I should have left you to _rot_ in that prison where I found you."

Veronica crossed her arms and snorted at them, Shredder noticed and sped towards her, causing her to jump, "And _you!_ You spent years of training to perfection. Yet, you let some _model_ easily outmatch you. I expected _more_ from you."

Veronica looked down in shame, "I understand... _father._ "

"The turtles and Julia have been lucky so far, but it won't last forever. The next time we meet, I promise you -"

" _ **Enough!**_ I am weary of your excuses. I will now destroy the turtles and capture Julia... _Myself._ "

* * *

 **Jewel's POV**

I can't feel my leg! I really can't feel my leg! It's really uncomfortable!

We were hiding in a bunch of dumpsters or trashcans. I was hiding in the dumpster with Lion Boy. And I was starting to lose feeling in my right leg.

"Lion Boy," I whisper, he turns to look at me, "Can you scoot over a bit. I can't feel my leg."

"Oh. Yeah." he scoots over a bit and I put the pressure off of my leg. It starts to feel like pins and needles, then it starts to calm down. I sigh in content, "Much better. Thanks."

"How do you know how bait talks?"

"I know bait _doesn't_ talk back."

Leo and I smirk at each other before we open the lid. All of us, except for Donnie and April, _'ooooo'._

"Oh no he didn't!" Mikey exclaims, hanging upside down from a fire escape.

I wave my finger, "Oh! He's in trouble now!" and we all disappear back in our hiding spots

After about a minute, we hear a loud screech and April screaming. Leo quickly opens the lid and D grabs his taser and shocks him. He falls onto the ground with a loud 'thump'.

 _"Now!"_

We all come out of our hiding spots and tackle him onto the ground when he tried to get up again.

He kept squirming, "Okay! Okay! Uncle! _Jeez Louise!_ " it screamed, struggling in our grasp.

April planted her hands on her hips proudly, turning to Donnie, "And you said I wasn't good bait."

"Okay, start talking, pigeon-man." Leo demands.

"I have a name!" it says.

I roll my eyes, "Nobody here cares! So, I suggest you start talking or I'm about to do to you what the turtles did to the good name of piz -"

 _"Jewel!"_

The pigeon groans, "It's Pete." he answers.

"Huh. I used to have an ex-boyfriend named Pete."

"Uh, I don't I've ever dated a _really_ hot girl who's _totally bonkers._ "

Everyone snorts except for Leo, who growls.

"Why were trying to hurt April, Pete?" Leo asks.

"I _didn't_ wanna hurt her. I was just bringing her a message. From her _father._ "

I raise my eyebrows. Her dad?

I hear April gasp, "Let him up!"

We all let go of him, I help him stand.

"We were both guests of the Kraang. They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this." he explains, gesturing to his mutated form. I pat his arm, "Aww. I'm sorry."

April frowns, "Oh, that must have been horrible. Being turned into a _pigeon._ "

"Actually, I _started out_ as a pigeon." he corrected.

"Told you the bread crumbs would have worked." Mikey said. I nodded, "Eh, that would've been good to know." Pete's eyes light up, "You've got bread crumbs?!" he asks excitedly, lifting Mikey up and searching for any bread crumbs. I roll my eyes, "Good grief."

"Um, my father?" April interrupts. He immediately lets go of Mikey, "Oh, right." I hear Mikey yelp in pain, Pete hands some phone to April, _"Something terrible is about to happen._ " I hear Kirby say from a voice message, _"And I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of this city as soon as you can. Save yourself. Remember, I love you."_

April hugs the phone to her chest, closing her eyes painfully, shedding a tear, "I love you too, Daddy."

I frown at her and look at the bracelet on my wrist. At least she has a parent left... I feel a three fingered hand land on my shoulder, I turn to see Leo smiling at me sympathetically, I smile back in gratitude, ignoring the weird tingling sensation on my neck.

Leo turns back to Pete, "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

Pete shrugs, "I'm just the messenger."

"We have to get you out of the city." Donnie declares. April glares, "I'm _not_ going anywhere _without_ my dad."

"But you heard him, something terrible is gonna happen." Donnie says. April continues to glare at him stubbornly, "Then we'd better hurry."

I roll my eyes, folding my arms, "Always the stubborn one, huh Apes?" I smirk. She smirks back and shakes her head.

"Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding him?" Leo asks, his hands on his hips. "I can, but it's gonna cost you _a lot_ of bread." Pete answers. Leo raises an eyebrow, "We're talking about _actual_ bread, right?"

"Yeah. Sourdough."

"Done."

I walk over to the dumpster and grab my purse. I fish around in it before I find my three bags of sourdough bread. I hand it over to Pete, "Here you go."

His eyes sparkle and he happily takes it, hugging it, "Awesome! Thank you!"

Everyone, except for Pete, raise their eyebrows at me. I shrug, "Oh, like there's something wrong about keeping a stack of food in your purse in case you get hungry."

"Are you sure she's mentally stable?" I hear Raph mutter to Leo, who elbows him in the gut. I roll my eyes. Suddenly, I feel an uneasy chill going down the length of my spine. I stand still to listen for any sound. Everyone looks at me, confused.

"What's wro -"

I quickly shush April and turn my head a bit. "Dudette, are y -"

I walk away from them a little, holding my hand in a stopping position, "Shut up for a second." I mutter to them.

And then - _I see it!_

I see a shadow walk away and I quickly and quietly follow it. I sense the others following me but I ignore it. I quickly dart over to the fire escape on my left, clambering myself up on the metal staircase with silent ease. I flip myself onto the rooftop. I squint in the darkness in New York and find nothing.

Well... nothing except for a dark grey shadow sprinting away.

I narrowed my eyes, quickly grabbing my black mask. It covered the top half of my face, ending at the bottom of my nose, my eyes only appearing. I quickly go after the shadow, making sure to keep a distance so it doesn't spot me following it.

* * *

A few minutes later, I find myself in the rougher part of the city. I hop down from a fire escape. I sigh in content. _Aah, my roots._ What? Oh, right. I lied about my dad being a doctor. Technically, he was. But at night, he was an elite assassin. So, we were kind of forced to live near the bad parts of Japan. But, I did used to run by the meadow. Took me three hours, but _worth it!_

I continue to trail after the shadow. From what I can tell, it looked like a girl. It starts to pick up it's pace as do I. Is it another Foot Soldier or something?

Suddenly, to my surprise, the shadow runs straight towards me with a whip. My eyes widen.

 _What?! The shadow! It looked... so life like._ Like in thin air. Not bouncing from the wall or anything. Like you could touch it.

Great... ** _more mutants!_**

I use my super speed to dodge her whip. She snaps her head back to me and growls, "Nice shoes, _princess._ "

I raise my eyebrow at her voice. You know, she sounds a lot like my fri -

Wait...did she just call me... _ **PRINCESS?!**_

I growl at her, flicking my tanto out of my pocket, and run full speed at her. She whips her whip, _hahaha_ , I said _'whip her whip'_ that's hysterical, at my blade, and tries to pull it to herself, but she struggles because of my strength. I jerk my tanto closer to me, making her pull to me with a startled yelp. When she gets closer, I knee her in the stomach, making her drop her whip.

She rolls down to the floor, holding her aching stomach. Her shadowy gloom starts to fade, showing in the color if her actual appearance. I take a few steps closer to her. I regard her with a stern glare and I bend down, placing my finger under her chin, lifting her head up. I look into her light blue eyes, and tilt my head down at her skeptically. With one swift movement, I yank her scarf from her face, and look to see...

It _couldn't_ be...

My eyes widen and my jaw drops open comically in surprise. After about a few seconds, I manage to get out, _"Clara?!"_

She tilts her head in confusion before beaming up at me, _"Jewel?!"_

"Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you since,"

 _"October 31st, Girls Night Out!"_ we both say in unison.

I hold out my hand to help her up, "Well what the heck," I say, chuckling a bit. She goes in for a hug, "Come here you."

And I bump her hard on the shoulder. She falls down hard with a pained grunt, she holds her shoulder, glaring up at me, "What the heck was _that_ for?!"

I fold my arms on my chest, "You still owe me for," I put my fingers in quotation marks, "'Taking care' of that police officer when he caught you on camera for stealing that diamond."

She gives me an uncharacteristic pout, "Yeah, well...you know I can't resist something that's _so_ shiny!"

I smile good naturedly, rolling my eyes at my old friend, a memory flashing through my eyes,

* * *

 _9 years ago_

 _Jewel stretched on the bar of gymnastics class. She was the only one stretching, as usual, while all of the girls went on about their day by simply gossiping and twirling their hair. The 6 year old kunoichi rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. She didn't understand why no one took this class seriously like she did. It was a mystery to her. Who cares about which outfit makes you look cuter? As long as you're comfortable, you should be fine._

 _The double doors flew open, revealing a lean black haired woman in spandex. She clapped her hands loudly together, gaining everyone's attention. "Subete no kenri no josei wa, no wa chokusen de shutoku shite kudasai mimashou!"_

 _All girls did what they were told, scrambling through each other before settling into a straight line. They stood up straight, shoulders relaxed, as if they were in the army._

 _The gymnast teacher walked back and forth, staring straight through them. She cracked open a grin, causing Jewel to raise an eyebrow, "I understand some of you do not speak English." she started, careful to not mispronounce, "But, luckily, I lived in America for a short period of time and picked up a few things. And I want to welcome you all to Tokyo. You are going to love it here!"_

 _And she walked near the door, "And now, I want to welcome a new student of ours. She had just transferred. And I want all of you girls to be nice to her," she eyed the blonde girl in the red leotard, "Especially **you** , Gwen."_

 _Everyone looked over to the blonde girl, giggling until being stopped by Gwen's death glare. All girls shuddered at her glare, all but Jewel, who simply snorted and rolled her eyes, earning a growl._

 _The teacher cleared her throat, "Ladies, I would like to introduce you, Clara Kyle!"_

 _All of the girls clapped, save for Gwen and Jewel. Jewel folded her arms while Gwen pouted sourly. Just then, an Asian girl with light blue eyes and dark brown hair walked in, sporting a black leather leotard with dark midnight leggings, holding a purple and black duffel bag. Her expression was unreadable, simply staring at all of the girls, who murmured and whispered. The teacher patted her shoulder once, "Clara, you can put your stuff over in the lockers and take a spot next to Julia over there." she said, pointing to the coffee skinned girl. She walked over to one of the lockers, shoving her bag in it, before walking over to the raven haired girl, who regarded her with a neutral expression._

 _Clara sent a small smile at the girl, who nodded her head once, and went back to study the wall across from them. Clara took in the time to study the raven haired girl. She was about her height, probably a centimeter shorter than her, her skin looked healthy, glowing a bit, as if she were in the sun. She had dark, royal blue eyes, hair as dark as the night, and her hair was nice and straight, pulled into a smooth and sleek ponytail, the top shining with a white streak from the lights._

 _Wow, she was really pretty! And she looked like she was Japanese, with a bit of African American mixed in. She looked like one of those models from the magazine she always read when her mother let her steal one whenever she finished a book or if she was bored. She leaned in a bit closer to her, careful for her not to spot her. Actually, she looked extremely like this certain model on one of her kid magazine. She looked just like -_

 _"Do you want something?"_

 _She jumped a bit at the girl's tone, which was a bit harsh and threatening. She looked down at her feet, fidgeting them a bit._

 _After about an hour, practice ended, and all of the girls went to the lockers to pack up their gear. Clara looked over her shoulder, glancing at Jewel and Gwen, who were both talking and drinking water._

 _The brunette twiddle with her fingers. She spent the whole class by herself. She was too scared to talk to the other girls. She was afraid that one of their parents were cops or police officers. She and her mother were thieves, and thieves didn't belong in the real world. But, she sensed something in Jewel. She didn't really know her, but she could tell Jewel had a deep and dark secret. Something just as bad as being a thief._

 _After she made sure Gwen had left, she didn't really like her, she seemed rude and mean, she gathered all of her courage and walked up to Jewel. She tapped her shoulder once, gaining the rave haired girl's full attention. She raised her eyebrow, "What?"_

 _Clara took a breath, "Hi. I just wanted to say that...I think we got off at the wrong foot. I'm sorry for staring at you."_

 _Jewel stood there with a slightly surprised expression, "Oh, um, thanks."_

 _And to Clara's shock, she smiled a bit, "So, how come you were staring at me?"_

 _Clara cheeks tinted a light pink, "You, umm, looked familiar. Like this -"_

 _"Model." both said in perfect unison, making them jump before bursting into a fit of giggles._

 _After both sobered down after a minute or two, "Yeah, I'm a model. It's pretty cool. Sometimes." she muttered._

 _After 5 minutes, both girls were sitting at the bleachers, waiting for their respective parents to pick them up. Jewel and Clara were talking about trivial things, like school, gymnastics, certain jewels, and their favorite animals and activities._

 _"You should meet my mom, she's really awesome!" Clara exclaimed, munching on an apple. At the mention of mothers, Jewel's face creased into a frown, causing Clara to raise a concerned eyebrow, "What's wrong?"_

 _Jewel blinked, "You have a mom to look up to. Someone to talk about gymnastics, diamonds, and all of the other girl stuff...I don't..."_

 _Clara frowned sadly at Jewel, "Well...hey, you have a dad. I don't. I don't have anybody to argue about boys with and to be overprotective of me when they're around. You have a good thing going." she said, genuinely smiling._

 _Jewel flickered her dark blue eyes at the girl sitting right next to her, her mouth twitching up a bit, "Yeah. I guess I do." she whisphered._

 _A figurative lightbulb lit up in Clara's mind, "Hey! I got an idea! Why don't we share parents! I'll share my mom with you, and you share your dad with me!"_

 _Jewel smirked at the girl, "You know what, that's not a bad idea. Sure. I'm in. Let's share our parents." she agreed, chuckling._

 _Clara held up her hand, "Hey, Jewel? Can we be best friends forever?" she asked, hope brightening in her eyes._

 _Jewel's eyes widened a fraction. Had she just heard her right? She wanted to be her best friend? No one had ever wanted to be friends with Jewel, except for Gwen, unless they knew about her modeling career and gymnastics status. Her and Gwen were friends, but not entirely close. She had a hard time making friends because of her...job._

 _She smiled brightly, locking her hands with her, in an arm wrestling position, "Sure, Cat. We can **totally** be best friends forever."_

* * *

That was a really special day for me. It was the first time I had a _real_ friend. I saw a hand wave in front of me, "Jewel? You with me? You zoned out there for about three minutes." I hear my best friend say to me.

I nod, "Yeah. I'm okay. Just remembered the day we met."

Clara smiled, she opened to sat something, but a very familiar voice calls out my name.

"Jewel?"

 _Dang it!_

I forgot the guys and April were still with me! _Dang it, dang it, dang it!_ _Bad Julie._

I turn around to find everyone staring at me with confused expressions. I smile nervously, letting out an awkward chuckle. "Oh, hey guys! I totally, definitely, _completely_ forgot that you were still following me!"

They all raise a confused eyebrow at me. I gesture to Clara, "Guys, this is Clara. My old friend. And get this...she's a high profile thief!"

 _Oops._ Okay, not the _best_ way to introduce someone. Clara's head snaps at me, glaring accusingly. I shrug sheepishly, "Okay. Not a thing to point out. My bad. That one's on me."

Instantly, the guys unsheathe their weapons, attaining a battle stance. Clara's eyes widen, and I immediately shuffle myself in front of her. "Hold on, guys! It's okay! She's a friend of mine and I'm pretty sure she's not here to hurt us." I take a quick glace at her, "You're not, right?" I whisper to her. She gives me a deadpan look, shaking her head.

Donnie raises an eyebrow, "How do you two know each other?" he asks.

I place one hand on my hip and shrug one shoulder, "We met at gymnastics class and talked when it was over for about an hour or so." I explain, turning back to Clara, "Cat, what are you doing here in New York?"

She smirks, "What do you think I'm doing here? I'm stealing a bunch of rare jewels and artifacts from the Metropolitan Museum."

"Ha! You said jewels and my name is Jewel! Classic!" I laugh. Oh, I love puns.

 ** _"WHAT?!"_** I hear everyone else yell. I turn around to see confused and surprise faces and one very angry face. Clara and I roll our eyes. _Ugh, this is starting to get annoying._

She pats my shoulder, "Well, I better go. Got some shiny jewels and artifacts to steal, and you...got whatever else you have to do. But, let's text and catch up tomorr -"

"Hold up, sister!" Raph yells, stomping over to us. I glare at him while he steps closer to Clara, "You're not going anywhere, _Cat!_ And you're definitely not stealing anything _or_ hanging out with our friend! So, after bashing your face in, we're gonna have to turn you into the co -"

Suddenly, he's thrown across the wall, his shell making a huge dent. Our eyes widen, "Oh, I _so_ pity the dude who tries to arrest her." I mutter.

Clara smirks at him, "Love to chat some more, but I got stuff to steal and take. But, I'll see you later... _Hothead!_ "

She gives me a thumbs up and teleport away. _Whoa!_ She can _teleport_ too! Wow, I'm starting to wonder who would win in a fight between us.

I walk over to Raph, who was still groaning, "Someone made a new friend." I tease, earning a laugh from everybody. _Man, I wish I had a camera to record that!_

* * *

We were at some Kraang facility lab or something like that, I don't know. We had to leave April behind for lookout. Now, we're at some Kraang lab. Lion Boy was giving orders.

"Donnie, hack into the system and see if you can find out about the Kraangs' plot." he ordered, turning to Raph now. "Raph, Jewel, you're with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie."

Donnie's eyes widen, "Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" he complains.

Mikey frowned, "Hey." he whines. I roll my eyes. _'Better him than me.'_

Leo scowls, crossing his arms defiantly, "I don't want him. And I'm in charge."

 _"Hey!"_

 _"Pipe down, Chip!"_

"Well, then make _Raph_ take Mikey."

"Over my dead body."

"Jewel, why don't _you_ take him?"

"I would, but my patience only wears so thin."

"You know, I'm starting to think nobody wants to be with me! Fine, I'll just go off on my own."

And he throws a smoke bomb on the floor, disappearing in a mist of dark purple smoke. Another mist of purple smoke appears, fading to reveal Mikey in the closet.

I fold my arms over my chest, smirking at him, "Ha! You landed in the closet." I chuckle, making him pout. "That's a closet." he chuckled sheepishly, blushing a bit.

"Have fun, you three." Raph taunts, smirking smugly. He and Lion Boy walk out of the room. I scowl at their retreating forms.

Mikey walks over to the control panel, looking in awe, "Whoa. Um, huh? What's that button -"

Donnie quickly grabs his hand, holding it in a tight grasp, glaring all the while, "Don't. Touch." then he whispers the last word, **_"Anything."_**

Mikey chuckles nervously, looking over for me as a saving grace. Currently, I'm texting Nicole about the next photo shoot. I look over to the two boys, who are staring at me with their eyebrows raised and a confused look. I shrug, "What? _She_ texted me. If I didn't answer, that would just make me look rude."

After a few minutes, I'm playing on a game and Donnie is trying to unlock the panel computer thing while Mikey's probably annoying him.

"What's that one do?"

"I don't know."

"What's that one do?"

"I don't know."

"What's that _one_ do?"

" _I don't know!_ Jewel, I could use a little help here!"

I'm still playing the game, "One sec. I'm almost done!" I'm not really almost done...

"Well, can you please lend me a hand here?!"

"I don't see any fun in that."

"Whoa. Ooh, that one's pretty!"

 ** _"JUST STOP IT!"_**

And I hear a someone slamming their fist on the panel of the computer. And then I hear a beep and the computer turns on.

I hear Donnie laughing breathlessly, _"I'm in!"_

"You're welcome." I hear Mikey retort. I look up from my game, "Congratulations." I deadpan before going back to my game.

I hear Donnie gasp, "Uh oh. Oh my gosh, Jewel you might wanna take a look at this."

I press the buttons rapidly, "Can it wait?"

"No."

I roll my eyes and groan, walking over to them. I fold my arms over my chest and take a look. My eyes widen.

 _Project: Pyrokinesis_

 _Subject Name: Julia Anabel King_

 _Powers: Enhanced Strength and Speed, Fire Manipulation_

 _Occupation: Highly Skilled Mercenary_

No...no, no...I didn't want them to find out like _this!_

I keep my calm demeanor and turn to Mikey and Don. "You were a mercenary? You never told us that!"

I sigh heavily, "I'll explain later. Right now, we gotta tell Leo and Raph!"

He looks me up and down before signing in defeat, "You're right. Let's go!"

And we run out of the control room. But there's still one thing bugging my mind:

Why do the Kraang have a file about me?

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

"So they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze"

"Wow! You figured it out, how's that lock coming?" Raphael deadpans as Leonardo struggles to unlock the door separating them from April's father, Kirby O'Neil.

Leo frowns as he tries to unlock the dang door, "So, what do they want the ooze to do?" he asks.

Kirby shakes his head and frowns, "I wish I knew."

Donnie, Mikey, and Jewel run over to them, distressed expressions painting them, "Leo, Raph, they've planted a mutagen bomb downtown!" Donnie explains, freaked out, "They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" he notices the kidnapped scientist and smiles and waves at him, "Oh, hi Mr. O'Neil. Your daughter's really nice."

Kirby sends the purple clad genius a confused brow. Jewel rolls her eyes and facepalms. _'Not the best time to play kiss up, Dork-A-Tello.'_ she thought to herself.

"Okay, we have to disarm that bomb." Leo states before grumbling, "If I could just get this stupid door open!"

Jewel giggles a little, for some inconspicuous reason, she found that _absolutely_ adorable. Though, she couldn't understand why...

Mikey steps to some button on the wall, quirking a nonexistent brow, "Have you tried this?" he asks confidently, a smile gracing his lips. He pushes the button with all his force, causing the turtles and female mercenary to shout out,

 ** _"NO!"_**

Mikey chuckles sheepishly, folding his hands behind his back, "Oops."

Jewel glared daggers at him, "Mikey, you **_idiot!_** " she yells over the siren.

Raph walks up to him, "And _that's_ why no one _wants_ to be with _you!_ " he shouts, prodding his finger against the youngest's plastron. A beep is heard, _"Got it!"_

The door slides open and Kirby stumbles slightly, slightly frail and a bit pale. The turtles gently grab him and all of them run out of there after Leo declares, "Let's move!"

They all duck behind the wooden crates. Suddenly, Leo cups both of his hands to his face and makes a few pigeon like noises. Jewel raises an eyebrow and giggles. Why was it that only _this_ boy could make her giggle like an idiot?

Raph scowl at his brother, "What are you doing?!" Leo only rolls his eyes before Raph yells, "April, throw the rope!"

April peeks her head from the ceiling of the window, "Dad!" she exclaims, tears of joy threatening to spill from her crystal blue orbs. Kirby smiles as well, "April!"

She throws down the rope for them to escape. The turtles and Jewel start to climb but dodge a few laser blasts. A gun is thrown near them and Kirby goes to grab it, shoving himself away from the turtles and model. They all gawk and raise an eyebrow at him, "Mr. O'Neil, what are you doing?!"

He turns his head to them, "Save my daughter. Save the city."

April's eyes widen, "Daddy, no!"

He lets out a savage yell and repeatedly shoots the droids.

"Go, go!" Leo orders, helping Jewel climb on the rope. Donnie looks back at the scientist, "We can't just leave him here!"

"We don't have a choice."

And with that, all four turtles and girl climb up onto the top, escaping the chaos. They see Kraang overpowering Kirby and tackle him before sending him back to his cell. April watches on in horror, tears pricking her eyes. She places a hand over her mouth, "No!"

She tackles herself into Donnie. He could hear her sob into his plastron. He gently wraps his thin, yet muscular arms, "We'll get him back, April." he says. She looks up at him and he bites back a gasp at the sight of her tear stained face, _"I promise."_ he whispers.

"We gotta go." Leo declares. All of them run out of the rooftop.

* * *

" _'Uh oh?'_ Donnie, you said you knew how to do this!"

"I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo."

"They're aliens from another dimension. What did you expect? A big round ball with a lit fuse that said _'bomb'_?"

"Can I laugh, cause this sounds _really_ funny."

"No, but this -"

"Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another four minutes and fifteen seconds."

* * *

The turtles and the skilled mercenary were battling the three Foot ninjas, Bradford, Xever, and Veronica.

Both of the kunoichi's weapons clashed with fierce ferocity once, "You three bozo's picked a _really_ bad night to mess with us!"

Veronica scoffed, "It's called payback, _Hottie!_ I still owe you from that little win of yours!"

Jewel proceeded to kick her in the gut but she quickly rolls over, swinging her kama at the mercenary.

Jewel dodges, but a slight rip on her shirt appears. She back flips and throws a fireball at her opponent, who barely dodges. Jewel super speeds behind her and sweeps her legs. Veronica flips back up, throwing shuriken at Jewel. Jewel catches it between her fingers before melting it.

After a few minutes, Donatello managed to difuse the bomb and now all of them were standing near the mutagen bomb.

Leo points his katana at their enemies, "You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons." he commands.

All of them glare, _"Never!"_

Leo chuckles slightly, "You don't have a choice. You've lost."

Bradford shuffle his eyes around, "If I'm going down," his eyes flicker to the mutagen, "I'm taking _you_ with me."

All of their eyes widen when his sword connects with the glass, causing a crack.

 _"No!"_

Veronica sees this and quickly throws a smoke bomb to the ground, disappearing in a cloud of dark grey smoke.

Both Xever and Bradford go down with a scream, mutagen spilling all over them.

* * *

The turtles and Jewel all whoop and clap as they walk away, a voice stopping them in their tracks.

 ** _"Your skills are impressive."_** a dark, low, blooming voice says. They all turn around, eyes widening to the size of saucers. Except for Jewel, as her eyes narrow into dark, narrow, slits. What they see is a six foot armored man with a mask covering most of his features.

He flies off from his position with a grunt, landing on the ground in a low crouch. He straightens himself up, unsheathing his steel claws from his wrists.

Donnie gulps, "Oh, man. Do you think that's... ** _T_ _he Shredder?_** " he asks nervously. Jewel scoffs, "Obviously." she mutters under her breath, slowly unsheathing her tanto. Raph scowls, "Well, it's definitely **_A_** Shredder."

The Shredder slowly takes a few steps to them, "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles and a highly skilled kunoichi and mercenary." he says, looking straight at Jewel, who only growls like a feral dog at him, the memories flashing in her mind.

"Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to _tell it._ " he continues. Leo glares daggers at him, "You're gonna have to _catch_ us first!" he quickly looks over to Mikey, _"Mikey!"_

The orange clad turtle smirks, holding an arm with a smoke bomb over his head, "So long, _suckah!_ " and he drops the egg, only for it to turn out as a real egg...

They all, except for Jewel, look at the egg in horror. Mikey shrugs sheepishly, "Oops. All right, that one's on me."

Without any warning, The Shredder charged, drawing his blades out from his gauntlets. Raph was the first to charge at him. Both blocked attacks from one another until Shredder sent a hard kick to Raph, flying him over to the electric billboard. Raph grunted in pain as he was electrocuted, _"RAPH!"_ Leo cried out in worry, before going in for Shredder himself.

He attempted to slice his swords through his armor, Shredder blocking them every time. Suddenly, Shredder sent a hard punch into his plastron before kicking him in the gut, sending him rolling across the rooftop before landing on his side.

 _"LEO!"_ Donnie shrieked, quickly running over to his still and unconscious older brother. He looked over at him. He seemed fine but had a few bruises, not too many though. He seethed in anger, running up to The Shredder with his staff drawn. Donnie kept swinging his Bo staff at him, Shredder blocking them with ease.

Shredder then grabbed his staff and began jabbing it repeatedly hard into the purple clad genius's forehead. He launched Donatello across the roof with a full forced punch. Suddenly, a kusarigama chain was caught by him and he pulled Michelangelo to him, brutally kicking him in the stomach.

He bounced off the rooftop while throwing a few shurikens at the armored ninja master. Shredder evaded them easily with his gauntlets, before seeing the turtle tumbled off the edge. He walked over to it to see the dead body on the concrete. Unfortunately for him, he didn't see anything but the concrete floor.

Suddenly, he felt a gush of wind behind him. He raised an eyebrow and turned around, only to find Leo slicing his sword at him. He blocked it with ease. Donatello used this as a distraction, bringing his staff down upon on him, aiming at his head. Shredder stumbled slightly but recollected himself as he felt another gush of wind behind him.

Mikey climbed up onto the electric billboard, rushing to his brother's aid. He gently turned him over, finding his body slightly burnt, but not too badly. Sky blue and emerald met as Raphael sent a dry smile, Mikey smiling in return.

Shredder kept feeling a gush of wind behind him. He turned around again, finding nothing. What was that?! He turned around and scanned the area. Finally, he found a blurry figure speeding over to him. Before he can react, it sends a hard punch to the face, nearly knocking his helmet off. He flipped and landed in a low crouch.

The figure revealed itself to be a girl. She had coffee brown skin and a midnight black mask. She prodded one hand on her hip while she threw her tanto in the air, catching it in between her fingers. She smirked coldly at him, "Looking good, Saki. Have you been working out?" she said, her voice oozing with mockery.

Shredder merely scoffed, "Julia Anabel King." he said slowly, nodding his head, "Well, hello gorgeous. You're looking very," he scanned her up and down, _"...alive."_

Jewel threw her head back, "Ha! Only on the _outside,_ Shred-Head."

And suddenly, Shredder bolted towards her, blades poised at her. Both attempted to slash and slice at each other, but with Jewel's enhanced strength and Shredder's far superior skills, both knew that was impossible. She kicked him in the head before he punched her arm hard. She subconsciously winced, refusing to let Shredder see.

Jewel back flipped away from Shredder, an idea forming in her mind. She closed her eyes, concentrating. Shredder took this as a distraction and bolted for the final blow, a certain turtle stopping him in his tracks...

 ** _"GET AWAY FROM HER!"_**

Leonardo leapt from the air and brought down his swords. Shredder grabbed him and threw him off. Donnie went up behind him and swung his staff down upon his shoulder blade. The staff snapped in half and Donnie yelped in alarm as Shredder grabbed his head and flung him into Leonardo. He snapped his head upwards as Raphael charged his sais at him, landing on his back. He punched his head repeatedly until Shredder threw him down, about to deliver a brutal punch.

To his surprise, a chain wrapped around his wrist. Michelangelo hurdled down from the billboard, dragging Shredder upwards from the ground. He used his kusarigama blade to hang The Shredder by his arm being suspended in mid-air. The sickening crack was heard, and Shredder's scream of pain echoed off in waves.

He used his blade to slice at one of the letters, falling off. Mikey screamed in terror as it landed on top of him. Shredder looked to see his brothers quickly rushing to his aid, struggling to lift it off of him. Finally, Michelangelo managed to crawl out from it, a shallow and slightly bloody wound appearing on his head, forming a bruise, and a few cuts.

They all looked up to see Shredder glaring down at them as if they were a deep, dark hole. He looked over to see the raven haired kunoichi and smirked coldly at them. Their eyes widened in horror and Shredder bolted towards the girl.

 ** _"NO!"_** they all screamed as Shredder pointed his blade at her.

And suddenly, Jewel smirked and thrusted her arms and shoulders forward, creating a large fire blast at the armored man. He flew back from the large blast, landing on his back, his armor slightly melted.

Jewel smirked coldly and folded her arms over her chest, "Whoops."

* * *

The turtles and kunoichi panted heavily. The turtles were covered in cuts and bruises, while Jewel, thankfully, only had a few scratches on her clothing and a black eye. All of them glared up at Shredder, before all five of them charged for him. He landed a hit on all of them except for Leo.

Leo sliced his sword at him but he dodged it. Leo dropped his sword and held his side in pain. Shredder grabbed the top half of his shell and held him against an air vent. He pressed two of his gauntlet blades in between the leader's in blue head.

Suddenly, a small and sharp blade rose in between his gauntlets, "Tell me where Splinter is and I promise your demise will be **_swift!_** " he demanded, the blade drawing in closer to Leo's neck. His eyes widened in fear.

Then, Shredder dropped him and turned around to find a dark red fish holding his hand out, "Help... _me!_ " it said, its' voice rasped and weak. "What is _this?!_ "

Just then, a large looking dog like creature held out its' hand to him, groaning. "Xever?! Bradford?!" his eyes widened and he turned around to find the turtles and Jewel gone.

 ** _"NO!"_** he screamed in anguish, unaware of five silhouettes hiding under the building...

* * *

Jewel walked down the hallway to her room, clutching an ice pack for her eye, which was starting to sting painfully again. She felt an uneasy churn in her stomach at what Master Splinter had said hours ago...

 _"We are at war."_

She frowned. She wanted to tell them. She really did. But, she just wasn't ready and she couldn't find the right time. Luckily, Donnie had seemed to forgotten about her being a mercenary. She didn't know how to explain it yet. Besides, she had another secret. She hadn't told them yet, but she will. She hadn't told them that she used to be an -

 ** _"NO!"_**

She jumped slightly at the sound. That voice...it sounded muffled and terrified. Her eyes widened as she knew who that voice belonged to. She ran over to his door and swung it open.

There, she saw Leonardo thrashing around in his bed. She quickly ran over to him, taking him by the shoulders and shaking them. He was sweating and he looked pale and still bruised from his injuries. "Leo! Relax! It's just a _dream!_ It's _okay!_ Lion Boy!"

He kept thrashing around. She let go of him and bit down on her bottom lip. A figurative lightbulb appeared above her. She smiled coyly and raised an arm over her head, slapping him.

His eyes snapped wide open, and she had to cover his mouth with her hand as he screamed. He panted heavily and his eyes were unfocused and still dazed from the nightmare. She slowly removed her hand.

His head snapped upwards at her, "J-Jewel?" he asked, his voice small and timid.

She smiled and patted his head, "Relax. It was just a nightmare. _Just_ a nightmare. You're safe, Lion Boy." she assured him, her voice gentle and soft, to which he had found absolutely beautiful about her...

His smile dropped. She was in his room... _and he didn't have his mask or gear on!_

His cheeks shaded into a dark crimson color, using his blanket to cover himself as much as he could. And then, he blushed even deeper as she saw the blanket held in his hand.

She giggled, "Is that supposed to be your blankie?" she teased in a high pitched baby voice. He glanced over at the blue blanket with the duck on it, "Y-Yes?" he answered nervously.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Leo. I think it's pretty cute. And, if you'd like, I won't tell your brothers."

He smiled up at her, "Thanks." he whisphered. Suddenly, to his shock, Jewel smirked tauntingly, "By the way, you look pretty cute without your mask on."

That statement only made him blush harder, attempting to cover his face. He felt something thrown across his lap. He looked to see his mask and gear.

"Get dressed, Lion Boy." Jewel said over her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

She smirked, "I wanna show you something." she said, walking out of his room.

* * *

Jewel and Leo walked to some old abandoned construction site. Leo looked around, "Um, w-what did you wanna show me?" he asked, hiding his wince at the sound of his voice. Why did he always have to stutter around _this_ girl?!

Jewel smiled, gesturing to the whole area, "This!"

He raised an eyebrow, "A construction site?"

Jewel rolled her eyes, "No." her eyes flickered down at the ground. She bent down and used one hand to scoop up a large portion of mud, "This." and with a sharp jerk of her wrist, the mud flew off from her hand and into the turtles' face.

 ** _"GYAH!"_** he yelled, using a hand to wipe it off. Most of his face, however, was still stained with mud. He pouted and glared Jewel, who clutched her stomach and pointed at him, laughing.

She cackled, "That's a good look for you, Lion Boy!" she laughed. He blushed and slid his eyes down at the mud. He smirked. So, she wants to play dirty, huh? He bent down and scooped up a fair amount of mud, plastering it across the model's face.

"What?! Hey! Gross, Lion Boy! Not cool!" she yelled, wiping the mud off. She glared at him. He was laughing and pointing at her as well, "Not a bad look for you either, Wolf Girl!" he said, continuing on with his laughter.

She pouted but internally smirked at the nickname. Wolf Girl...it suits.

Thunder was heard but ignored by the two teens. Jewel smirked down at him, "So you really wanna play it that way, huh? Well then... _it's on!_ "

And she pushed the turtle down in the mud, a sickening splat heard. He went down with a yelp, glaring playfully at her before sweeping at her legs, causing her to go down.

Both teens repeatedly throw, push, even slide mud at each other. Both ignored the rain, laughing and giggling.

After two hours, both manage to sober up and lay down on the muddy ground. They were covered in mud from head to toe, and _soaking_ wet, but it didn't really matter to them all that much. They looked up at the sky, staring at stars despite the heavy and strong rain. Leo sighed contently, "Thanks...for whatever you wanted to show me." he chuckled. Jewel giggled, "Don't be naive, Lion Boy. You seemed stressed out about the whole 'Shredder thing' and I wanted to distract you from that. You know, show you some fun, three-toes."

Leo smiled and rolled his eyes, "It worked. Thanks, Jewel, really. I...I haven't had this much fun in a while with... _anyone._ "

Jewel took a glance at the turtle. He laid down on his back, like her, and had his hands rested on his chest and his eyes seemed to shine bright from the stars, a pleased and calm smile painting his lips. She was taken aback. He looked so... _at peace._ She turned away and looked on from the stars, "You're welcome."

She felt calmer now, thanks to him, forgetting about her big secret to tell him and the others. Now, they would know she used to be a mercenary and Donnie would most likely bring it up and she would have to explain herself. She could handle that a little.

But...how could she tell them that...she used to be an assassin... _for the Foot Clan..._

* * *

 **There you go! Hoped you enjoyed it! And Clare, if you want, you can write a scene for the next chapter for Clara if you'd like. And I hope I portrayed her right and that you liked it!**

 **And to Miraculous Pink Ninja:**

 **The note said:**

 _ **Oh, like you wouldn't do that with your precious little girlfriend, Lion Boy!**_

 **Thank you for loving Jewel. So glad you do!**

 **And Leo said paper tastes like nothing. Completely flavorless.**

 **And Jewel's secret: Already revealed at the Kraang Lab and at the end.**

 **And also, if anyone has any romantic scenes for Leo and Jewel...PLEASE TELL ME! At this point, I'm desperate. I'm not very good at writing romance scenes and I need help! So, if you have any ideas...please...tell me.**

 _ **Sayonara!**_


	11. Panic In The Sewers!

**Hello! Boy, this chapter was lot of work! But, it was worth it! Anyway, Clare, thanks for the Clara and Brittney scene! Loved it and excited to use it! Spoiler Alert: You guys will get to see Jewel's mercenary scene in action! And, if any of you guys can guess this scene I based off on, I love you and you're awesome! So, onward with this chapter!**

 **FYI: The FIRST SCENE DOES NOT BELONG TO ME! I just based it off from one of my favorite movies!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

 _12:45 pm Tokyo, Japan_

"Dude, I don't know what to tell you, but I didn't order the _stinkin' pie!_ " a man, no older than twenty-three, snapped in annoyance. A pizza was ordered from his apartment and he was _certain_ that he hadn't ordered any pizza!

The pizza delivery guy who had black hair and blue jeans and a grey sweater shook his head in confusion, raising a brow, "Then, _who_ placed the call?"

The man opened his mouth to answer but a voice stopped him in his tracks.

 _"I did!"_

Both turned to the direction of the feminine voice. Coming out from a room, was a girl who looked no older than fifteen. She had coffee brown skin, dark blue eyes, and a slicked back ponytail. She also had a black mask on.

She walked towards them, "Pepperoni and Sausage?" she asked. The pizza delivery teen nodded and presented her the box with a smile. She clapped her hands once, a satisfied grin gracing her features, "Aah, sweet and salty." she fished for an item in her pocket.

The owner of the room looked her up and down skeptically, "Who the heck are you?" he asked before his eyes widened in anger, "What the _heck_ are you doing in my crib -!"

A gun was pointed at his face. _Too_ close for his liking.

"Is the bread burnt?" she asked, her tone nonchalant, as if she wasn't aiming a gun at someone's face.

A frown creased the pizza delivery guy's features, shaking his head a bit, "Oh man, I hope not," he said, opening the box a tad to check.

The man held his arms up in surrender, quivering in fear, "O-Oh man, l-look. If t-this about last night's poker game, I-I told D-Danny - I told him..." he stuttered, stopping all together as the girl regarded him with a glare that clearly read annoyance. She aimed the gun a bit closer, taking one threatening step to him.

He looked down at his pocket, fishing around it before grabbing his wallet, turning his head in fear back to the girl, "Uh, look, uh just, t-take whatever you want." he said, shakingly handing her his wallet.

Her glare lessened a little, slowly taking the wallet and regarding it with silent ease, placing it into her own pocket, "Thanks."

She turned back to the delivery teen, "Miss, before you do anything to him," he said, shrugging one shoulder awkwardly, "You mind if I get a big tip or something?" he asked shyly.

The girl scoffed in amusement, "Um, Jayden is it?" she asked, smiling slightly, lifting her fist.

The delivery - _Jayden_ \- lifted his fist as well, both knuckles connecting to one another. He had a pleased smile painted on his face, "Jewel King." she introduced. He nodded in satisfaction.

After she released, she pointed one finger at him, "That is a _no go_ on the tip-or-ree, Jay." she said, lowering her hand to her back pocket.

His smiled faded, quirking a confused brow. "I'm not here for him. I'm here for _you_." she answered, holding out a card in-between her fingers, fully pointing her gun at him now. His eyes narrowed at the gun in fear, the other occupant in the room lowering his arms and sighing in relief.

" _Whoof!_ Wow, dodged a _big time_ bullet there on that one." he chuckled. The girl turned her gun back on him, jerking it towards his face hard, causing him to hold his forehead in pain and fall back on a bean bag chair.

" _Not_ , out of the woods yet!" she said, her voice lacing with anger and annoyance, "You _seriously_ need to ease up on the bedazzling there, big guy, they're clothes, not a disco ball!"

He nodded his head rapidly, a big dent appearing on his forehead now. She smirked, "FYI I'm keeping your wallet. You _did_ sort of give it to me."

He stood up, lifting his hands in fear, "Look, kid, can I just have my -"

She pointed her gun closer to him, making him fall back down again, pure anger creasing her features, _"I will shoot your freaking cat!"_ she snapped, her voice now threatening.

His eyes morphed from fear and confusion, sliding his eyes nervously left to right, "I don't r-really know what that means. I-I don't have a cat."

She narrowed her eyes into angry slits, raising an eyebrow, "Then whose kitty litter did I just use?"

Both men glanced at each other. Her glare faltered very slightly, wearing a look that clearly said _'oops'_

"Anywho..." she muttered, turning back to Jayden. "Please, tell me something, Jay. What kind of situation _isn't_ improved by pizza or berries?" she questioned, grabbing a slice. She handed it over to the man, who held his hand out for it. She dropped it face-first onto the floor, walking back to Jayden.

She opened the box slowly again, raising an eyebrow and inspecting it, "Do you, by any chance, happen to know a Micah McCarthy?" she asked, flicking a sharp knife from her pocket, using it to hold it close to the lid, the young teen quivering in fear as it was close to his face as well. He nodded timidly, much to her delight. She smiled, " _Great!_ 'Cause she knows you." she tilted her head to the side, slightly, as she regarded him with a curious and cautious skepticism, "You see, Jayden...I come from a group of guys and gals who take a buck to beat a fella like you down. And unfortunately, Miss Micah isn't exactly made of money or gold, but lucky her," she pointed the tip of the gun to her chest, gesturing to herself, "I got a little old soft spot, hon."

He shook his head in confusion, "I don't..."

She pointed her knife at him, placing her gun back in her pocket. He flinched, "You're a _stalker._ And while sticks hurt your bones," she hissed sarcastically, "But words," she said, nodding her head, " _Do_ tend to hurt. Especially threats." her glance slid to her knife, she smirked malevolently, "Though not as nearly as badly as a sharp, serrated, steel." she said, her voice dark and low, waving her knife up and down at him, centimeters from his face.

She glared at him with full force, "So _stay away_ from Micah. Got it?" she asked slowly, clearly not asking. He gulped and rapidly nodded, "Y-Yes ma'am." he said shakily.

To both of their reliefs, she smiled, spinning her knife back in her pocket, making a silent _'whoosh'._

"Okay, then we're done."

He opened his eyes cautiously, "W-Wait! W-We're...?"

She nodded, folding her arms over her chest, "Yep. Totally done."

Both laughed breathlessly, relieved beyond belief this girl hadn't decided to slice their heads off. She laughed with them, clutching her stomach and pointing at them, "You guys really should have seen your faces!"

"I had no idea what to do! I was _so_ scared!"

 _"Yeah!"_

And suddenly, all of the laughing had abruptly stopped. The girl harshly slapped the pizza box away and grabbed his neck, slamming him into the wall.

 _"Oof!"_

He shuddered at the sight of her blue narrowed eyes, staring at him with rage, growling at him as if she were a vicious wolf on the prowl for her next prey...

"If you even _look_ in any of her general direction ever again, I _will_ make sure you learn in the very _worst_ of ways that I have a dark side too." she threatened in a dark whisper. "Okay?" she whispered. He nodded as much as he could, his face painting with fear, a cold sweat dripping down from his forehead. Suddenly, she leaned in and lightly kissed him on the cheek, making him whimper in fear.

* * *

Jewel walked down the ice skating ring with dark black sunglasses on and a pizza box in her hand. She headed towards the girl with milk chocolate skin, light brown hair stopping at her shoulders. She was laughing and chatting with a few friends.

"Micah?" she asked, pointing at all of them questionably. The girl pointed at herself, "That would be me."

Jewel smiled in satisfaction, tossing her the box with a few photos taped to it, "You've heard the very last of Jayden. He's sorry." she said. Micah inspected the photographs, one with a gun pointed at Jayden's head with a paper saying 'I'm sorry.' on it, pure and utter fear plastered all over his face.

Micah smiled in amazement, "No way!"

Jewel took off her sunglasses and tossed them aside, nodding slightly, "Should've brought my ice skates. Show these kids how it's done."

Micah smiled at the raven haired mercenary, ramming herself into her for a hug. She grunted in surprise before patting her head once, "And that's why we do it. But mostly for money." she commented, wiggling herself off.

"Hey, think you could bash my uncle's face in?" one of Micah's friends asked.

"If I can give a guy a good bashing in the face, it's cause he's _earned_ it!" she stated, walking away.

 _"Hey, wait!"_

She stopped in her tracks, turning her head to face Micah smiling at her in gratitude.

She shrugged, her smile never leaving her face, "You're my _hero._ "

"No, no, no, no, no. _That_ , I _ain't!_ " she said while walking away and pointing and waving her finger at the girl.

And she never will be. Nope, not in a million years. Julia Anabel King, was _not - never will be - was ever -_ in _no_ possible way - a hero.

 ** _Ever._**

* * *

I super speed all the way back to New York. Now where were we? Oh yeah. Nope. Never will be. Never was. Not even a _little._ I'm just a bad girl who gets paid to beats down on worse girls - or guys. Depends.

And I don't wanna be a hero. I never did. Spoiler Alert: I'm a different kind of hero - or villain.

I mean, sure! Heroes are awesome and all...but I'm the kind of girl who's in it for the fun. I just wanna have fun. Is that so wrong?

I hear a beep from my phone. I tug it out of my pocket and look at the I.D. and smile at the name. I answer it, _"Moshi Moshi."_ I drone automatically, not even bothering to fight off that smirk on my lips as I heard my best friend sigh in exasperation.

 _"What does that even mean?"_ she asks, her voice lacing with annoyance and curiosity. I laugh, shrugging even though she can't see it, "Now what kind of mercenary would I be if I told you all of my secrets?"

 _"Late job tonight?"_ she asks knowingly. I roll my eyes skyward, "Tokyo, Japan. Had to super speed all the way back to New York." I whine. That was _really_ a wet ride!

Clara chuckles, _"Let me guess. You let the kid off easy?"_

I huff and roll my eyes, "He wasn't _exactly_ a big threat, it was just a little light stalking. Nothing too serious."

 _"You're just a warm blooded merc, aren't ya?"_

I chuckle, "And you're just a warm blooded thief, huh?"

I hear her smirk, _"I'm in it for the fun...and shiny stuff."_ she says, doing what she likes to call her _'sexy voice'._

I tilt my head, "And I'm in it for the money...and fun."

* * *

I walk into the lair, holding a box of pizza for the guys. Courtesy of Clara, who probably stole it. I look around the empty lair. I quirk a brow, "Guys? Lion Boy? _Yoo hoo!_ "

I hear footsteps coming from the dojo. Splinter runs in and pauses when he sees me. I set the pizza down on the couch and the next thing I know, he tackles me into a hug. I'd probably, maybe not, return the hug, except my arms are glued to my sides and I'm pretty sure I can't breathe.

"Sensei! You're crushing me! Please... ** _GET OFF OF ME!_** " I wheeze, grunting a little. Immediately, he reluctantly lets go and smiles down at me. Like a father would to their child. "Are you alright?" he asks me, his voice soft and a little...desperate?

I raise an eyebrow, tilting my head to my left, "Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?"

He frowns, "I have not seen you all day. I feared the Shredder or his henchmen had grabbed you." he explains. Seriously?

I laugh, startling him a bit, "Are you kidding me?! Shredder?! Grabbing me?! Oh, that's _hysterical_ , Sensei!" I exclaim, still laughing. I know this is probably a serious matter. But...it's too funny! Seriously, the last time The Shredder tried to grab me...I tricked him into chasing me through a cheeseburger factory...and he got covered with ketchup and cheese!

Splinter glares at me sternly, folding his arms over his chest. I bite my bottom lip to stifle or at least muffle my laugh, my chest and shoulders shaking with confined giggles, "Sorry." I say sheepishly. He raises an eyebrow before shaking his head and chuckles to himself, "Sometimes...you only confuse me further, Julia. It is _extremely_ difficult to understand you sometimes."

* * *

I sit on the couch at the pit of the living room. I was drawing a sword and a staff while Raph fed Spike and Leo was watching Space Heroes. I was only half watching it, more focused on my drawing. I was still pretty tired from my...late night mission.

My eyes start to droop, fluttering closed. I blink them open again. My brain feels like mush and my eyes feel like ten-pound weights. And before I know it, they flutter close, sucking me into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

 _3 years ago..._

 _"Unrgh! Get off me! Gah!" a girl with black hair and coffee brown skin growls, repeatedly kicking her legs out on the soldiers, who were strapping her flat on the back on the hospital bed._

 _After a few long seconds, they've managed to secure the straps on the twelve year old girl. Suddenly, a six foot armored man with a kuro kabuto mask slithers into the room, his eyes terrifyingly glowing from the dark room. A sinister chuckle erupted from his throat._

 _He outstretched his arm to the desk lamp, flicking it on and holding it over the girls' face. She flinched ever so slightly, a drop of sweat dripping down from her smooth features. Her breaths came out heavy with anger and nervousness. The armored man smirked beneath his mask, "Well...what do we have here?" his voice asked, deep and booming lowly, oozed with malice and mockery._

 _She growled like a feral predator at him, "I did everything you said - **my father did everything you said!** " she yelled, her voice lacing with anger and an in-between growl, "We **killed** people for you!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice incredibly angry, as if she was singing it._

 _He chuckled again, much to her annoyance, "True. **Very** true." he held up one finger, "But...you're father is gone." Her eyes narrowed into angry slits, "And **you** ," he chuckled yet again, causing her to growl even louder, "Have been an annoying pest! A nuisance. And.." he smirked devilishly, "Your father isn't here to protect you anymore."_

 _Her eyes widened, anger and fear swirling into them. Her breathing quickened, her head snapping left to right for some type of escape._

 _He grabbed a belt, lowering it to her mouth. She bit it and looked up at him nervously, she raised an eyebrow, "So, what are you gonna do? Are you...gonna kill me, **Saki?** " she emphasized his name, smirking at him, "Hey, isn't that a **girl's** name? Doesn't it mean **blossom** and **hope?** " she asked mischievously, her voice muffled a bit. The Foot soldiers held back desperate snorts of laughter, holding a hand or two in front of their mouths. Shredder narrowed his eyes, "Prepare, young girl. Because that sense of humor **will** die shortly in a few seconds." he threatens. The girl scoffs, "We'll see about that."_

 _He grabs the two devices from his electroshock machine, another sickening chuckle escaping from his throat, "We will, won't we?"_

 _And without warning, he slams the two metal shock pads against her temples, causing her to shut her eyes and bite down **hard** on her belt. As he continues to shock her, she notices everything going in a different direction. Everything swirls into an infinite amount of colors. Flashes of all her memories appear all at once, from her father to that very moment as she is mercilessly shocked. Or...as her **brain** is mercilessly shocked._

 _She starts to hear voices in her mind, a sudden desire to smash things and yell at everyone, break glass, punch somebody, help a homeless man, prevent a robbery or a mugging, **eating a cat!** She felt her sanity slip from her fingers._

* * *

I jump awake, a mixture of a gasp and a huff escaping from my lips. I blink a few times before a I feel a sickening and blooming pain forming in my head. I groan softly, careful for Raph and Leo not to hear, holding my index fingers to both of my temples, rubbing them in soothing circles.

I can still feel the pain from that day. The day that completely _ruined_ my life. Or, to be accurate, my sanity. The truth is...I used to be an elite assassin named Scarlet Moon, since I loved wolves so much, before I became a mercenary. Ever since then, nothing was the same. I lashed out a few times, forcing me to quit gymnastics, I threw any object I could find to throw at people. Nothing scared me much anymore, I could _literally_ hear a voice telling me what to do. It was like a faint whisper, but I could still hear it and I couldn't control it. My sense of humor changed, causing me to run my mouth at any time I was fighting bad guys. My only solution was to kill a threat.

I wasn't who I used to be anymore. I wasn't that same girl Clara, Gwen, my father, and probably my mother, used to know. I wasn't that same girl I used to be when I was five, ten, or eleven...

I wasn't _me_ anymore.

I was someone else.

 _"What?! Hey, what are you doing?!"_ I hear Lion Boy exclaim angrily. He turned his head accusingly at Raph.

He smirked, shrugging a hand, "Oh, sorry. It was Spike's idea. He said Space Heroes is too _stupid_ for him." he retorts, Spike crawling from his shell to his shoulder. I roll my eyes, folding my arms over my chest, "Raph, _you and_ Spike are too stupid to talk to." I retort, smirking smugly at him.

I slide my eyes over to Spike, "And I think you should apologize Spike. Before someone, _i.e._ me, stomps the leaves out of you."

Leo busts out laughing, standing up and sheathing his swords, "That's saying something, considering he hangs out with _you_ all day." he retorts to Raph.

I laugh and high five him. Raph glares at us, Spike crawling off his shoulder, eating a leaf.

"Nice going, Leo and _Fire Queen!_ " his head quickly snaps to Spike before turning back to us, "You made him angry, _so I'm gonna mop the floor with your faces!_ " he yells, his emerald eyes firing up at us and up in Leo's face, his hands balled into fists. I growl at him, my knuckles turning white from how hard I was gripping them. I take one threatening step to him, Lion Boy blocking me with one arm.

Leo glares at him sternly, slapping his finger away, "All right, Raph. Cool off." he orders. I fold my arms and narrow my eyes into angry slits, my jaw clenched. This guy was really starting to get on my nerves.

 _"I can help with that!"_ Mikey's voice exclaims. And suddenly, a water balloon is flying into Raph's face. I burst out laughing, pointing a finger at him, "Oh, that's so _clever!_ Water, cool off, oh that's just _so priceless!_ " I laugh, clutching my stomach.

 _"Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!"_ Mikey exclaims jubilantly. Raph faces him, his fists balled and his breathing coming out in angry, ragged breaths, filled with rage.

I chuckle a little, looking at the time on my phone. My eyes widen a little before I sneak out of the lair, grabbing my pink and black duffel bag.

I use my super speed out of the sewers, muttering something under my breath:

 _"Shoot! I'm late!"_

* * *

I slide my strap over my shoulder, placing and shoving my duffel bag into my locker. Welcome to Bloodied Underworld! A place for Mercs, thieves, and assassins to go and have a bite without the cops finding us or anything. There's also a few floors to do pretty cool activities, like gymnastics. Although, regular citizens also go there, but luckily, we're the bottom floor. I'm here for gymnastics.

I close my locker with a light slam. I turn my head to see Gwen walking towards me. I growl under my breath. I was still angry at her for insulting Lion Boy the other day.

She waves a hand at me, smiling so innocently, "Hey, Jewel!" she says. I fiddle with my bracelet, refusing to look her in the eye. "Hi." I mutter.

She raises an eyebrow, tilting her head a bit, "Are you still mad at me from last week?" she asks. I roll my eyes and shrug off one shoulder, "I'm over it." I mutter under my breath. She smiles in relief.

 _"Jewel!"_ I hear a familiar voice call out. I crack a smile, happy to hear that oh-so-familiar voice. I turn my head around to see Clara walking over to me. This time, she's wearing a purple tank top, black leggings, and a leather jacket with combat boots. I notice another girl walking next to her. She had black hair, and she was twiddling with her fingers, looking down at the floor. Huh, she must be shy.

I start to notice the concerned expression on her face. "Hi, Cat. And girl I don't know." I say, smiling. The shy girl waves at me shyly and Clara only gives me a half smile, "Hi. I need to talk to you." she says, her voice oozing with urgency.

"Okay, what -" Gwen steps up at Clara a little, giving her a death glare, "Get lost, _street girl!_ You're not allowed to talk to models like us." she snaps, crossing her arms over her chest.

Clara glares hard at her, while I growl. Cat rolls her eyes, huffing a little, "This'll only take a minute, _bratty!_ " she retorts. Gwen's eyes widen angrily, "What did you just call me?!" she growls.

She places a hand to her hip, "Well, I could use the other word, which describes you _a lot_ better." she smirks. I snicker, raising my hand over my mouth. Man, she was always the _bomb_ when it came to comebacks! Gwen grits her teeth tightly, "Fine! You have five minutes, _street girl!_ " she says, stomping off to leave me with Clara and the shy girl.

"I really don't like her." Clara mutters. The shy girl raises a curious eyebrow at me, "How are you even friends with that girl?" I shrug, "Eh, it's a love-hate friendship. Like rivaling brothers or sisters." I say, slyly shrugging one shoulder.

Clara smiles for a few seconds before frowning, "I found something that you and your turtle buddies would like to hear." she explains, frowning. "Well, what is it?" I ask.

Clara looks left to right for any intruders, "I was stealing some jewels from a temple and I overheard some of Shredder's plan." she explains, her voice discreet and a whisper. My eyes widen. The shy girl leans towards me, "It involves some kind of acid filled trucks." she explains.

Clara nods, "I had Brittney hack the location, and it looks like there heading to the sewers." she explains as the shy girl - Brittney holds out a computer to show the truck's destination. I raise an eyebrow and gasp, "We have to stop them. Cat, you gotta help me." I say. I mean, yeah, sure. I'm not some sort of hero, and sure, Raph annoys me to no end, but still, it's my new home and life. I don't want another life destroyed by Shredder.

Clara sighs, "I can't. Shredder will kill me if he sees me. He and my mom didn't _exactly_ leave their partnership on good terms." she explains, frowning. "But, I'm sure your mom won't let that happen."

Clara sighs, frowning sadly, "Jewel...I haven't seen my mom less than five years ago...she won't be able to help me anymore..." she says sadly. I frown, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Aww, Cat, I'm sorry." Clara just shrugs, "It's okay. However, I can get you more information about Shredder's plan." she says with resolve. I smile at her, "Thanks, Cat." I say, awkwardly giving her a hug. That kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable.

"Well, you did say that I owed you." she says with a wink, her and Brittney leaving. Brittney turns her head, waving at me, "Nice meeting you!" I smile at her and wave back.

* * *

I walk out of the school, carrying my duffel bag. I jog over to an alleyway, turning my head left to right and around for any civilians. Suddenly, an uneasy chill slides through the length of my spine. I toss my duffel bag into the dumpster and quickly unsheathe my tanto, attaining a fighting stance.

I hear a feminine chuckle, _"Aww. The wolf wants to play with the leopard, how cute."_ the voice calls out, her voice oozing with mockery. I raise an eyebrow before growling, "Look, whoever you are, I highly suggest that you leave. Or else...you're gonna get a very un-sweet, special... _surprise._ "

A girl comes out of the shadows. I narrow my eyes into angry slits, "Veronica." I growl. She places her hands on her hips, smirking at me, "That's so _cute._ The mercenary _trying_ to play hero." she mocks, further agitating me.

"What do you want?!" I snap, tightening the grip on my blade harder. She rolls her eyes, "To capture you." she merely says, as if it was obvious. I scoff, "And _why_ would I let that happen?"

And without warning, she tosses her smoke bomb in front of my face. Or at least, tries to. I super speed out of the alleyway. Unfortunately, I bump into something big and furry. I fall flat on the floor. Stars danced across my vision, a big arm grabbing my shoulder, lifting me up in the air.

I snap my head to see a really big dog. He had dark, crimson red eyes, one arm was bigger than the other, and he had dark red pants. I tilt my head at him before kicking him in the snout, making him yelp and let go of me.

I try to super speed again, but he grabs me by the waist. I kick my legs out, " ** _Gyah!_** Let _go_ of me!" I grunt. I use my super strength to pinch him hard on the arms, drawing blood out. He whines and winces, but keeps his hold strong.

Veronica walks up to me, laughing, "That was almost _too_ easy." she says, folding her arms and looking me up and down, "And you know what the best part is?" she asks. I narrow my eyes further and quirk a brow, refusing to answer her. Because, I have a feeling I know what it is.

She smirks evilly, "You still think, just because you're hanging out with those turtles, that you're some kind of... _hero!_ " she throws her head back and laughs, ignoring the clenching of my jaw, " _You?!_ A dishonorable discharge?" she narrows her eyes in thought and shakes her head, "Nope. Can't see it. And I'm pretty sure you can't, _can_ you?" she asks, leaning her head forward.

I look away from her, "Just do what you villains do and tie me up already." I snap. The dog starts to rub his finger on my neck. I light my finger on fire, touching his finger, making him yelp and he immediately lets go. Veronica just shrugs, "Fine. Have it your way. But you know I'm right."

As they tie me up and tape duck tape over my mouth and toss me into the truck, only one thought comes to my mind:

I know she's right. I may be super...but I'm definitely, _anything_ but a...

 ** _Hero..._**

* * *

 **No Ones POV**

 _"Hoko no kamae!"_ Leo ordered, raising his arms over his head. Donnie and Mikey follow, except for Raphael. Leo slid a glance at his immediate younger brother, sending him a stern glare, "Raph, _hoko no kamae!_ " he snapped. Raph had his arms folded across his chest, _"Hoko no way!"_ he retorted, waving his arms and pointing a finger at Leonardo, "It's bad enough Splinter's driving us into the ground. Now _you too?!_ "

Leo let his arms land loosely on his sides, "We have to keep training, because, right now, we don't stand a _chance_ against Shredder." he argued. ' _Except for maybe Jewel.'_ he thought to himself.

"Yeah. And he's up there." Mikey added, pointing to their ceiling, "Somewhere. _Waiting for us!_ " he exclaimed, his eyes bulging and wiggling his fingers before coming to an abrupt halt, "I just freaked _myself_ out!" he yelled, shaking.

"I hate to say it, but the fact that we've been laying low might be the _only_ reason we're still alive." Donnie pointed out. Leo turned his head back to Raph, "Exactly. So, until we're ready, we stay down here - wait, where's Jewel?" Leo asked, turning his head both sides. In fact, he hadn't seen her since Mikey had thrown that water balloon at Raph. _Where was she?_

Before any of them could answer, a voice interrupted them, "Unfortunately, that's not an option."

They all snapped their heads to see April, wearing a confident smirk on her lips, one hand prodded on her hip while the other waved her phone in front of them.

* * *

 _"We're meeting Shredder tonight. He's got a plan to destroy the turtles and capture the really hot bikini model._

 _"How? He doesn't even know where they are."_

 _"He says they're in the sewers somewhere, and that's all he needs to know to wipe them out."_

The turtles, April, and Master Splinter, were all listening on to the Purple Dragon's conversation. Splinter had his hands folded behind him, his eyes skeptical and slightly alarmed. He sharply rose his head, "Our home is no longer safe," he stated with a certain firmness lacing his voice, "The Shredder _must_ be stopped." he turned his head, raising a brow, "Where is Julia?"

Leo shrugged, "I'm not sure. I haven't seen her in a while." he answered. He took a deep breath, he was genuinely worried about her. Where was she? It's not like her to run off and not tell them where she was going.

"How can we stop a plan we don't even _know?_ " Leo asked, standing in front of Splinter. Suddenly, he took a small blade out and tossed it behind him, popping Mikey's water balloon. The younger gave out a little whine and pout.

Raph stood up, "We _have_ to go topside, and find out what they're planning." he answered, balling his hands into fists, his tone determined. Leo nodded, "Raph's right. There's no other way." he said, "...And where the _heck_ is Jewel?!"

* * *

"I spy, with my pretty blue eyes, something big, and _stupid!_ "

"Is it me again?"

"Man, you are _killing_ at this game! This was the only answer for the first...sixteen times."

Dogpound groaned irritably, his ears drooping in annoyance. He had the mercenary tied up in the front, securely strapped to her seat. Unfortunately for him, she had managed to melt off her duck tape, mercilessly insulting him with her annoying wise cracks and her pointless games. Didn't this girl _ever_ shut up?!

She smirked up at him, "So, mutt, tell me, do your eyes always shine that fluorescent color? And why the evil life, huh?" she turned her head to the window and then back at him, smiling sickeningly, "Let me guess," she pouted mockingly, "Daddy never paid attention to me. Mommy left and didn't love me." she mocked, her voice high and in some form of a baby voice.

Dogpound rolled his eyes, huffing, "Do you **_ever_** shut up?" he muttered under his breath, though it was loud enough for her to hear, "Nope. Not when I'm awake." she answered, smirking at him.

It was quiet for a few seconds, Jewel, unfortunately, breaking it, "Look pal, I played a whole bunch of roles but damsel in distress _ain't_ one of them. So..."

And she lit her chest on fire, burning the ropes and startling Dogpound. He yelped in surprise and nearly crashed the van. He kept driving but turned his head to Jewel, growling at her. Her door was now wide open and she smirked at him, "Merry Christmas, Beezlebud! Tell Shreddy I said hi!" and she quickly jumped out of the car, super speeding into the night.

Dogpound stopped the van, glaring at her retreating form.

* * *

 ** _"You should be."_** a dark and hoarse voice said. The turtles all turn to the loud growling. To their horror, they seen an eight foot Akita with one larger arm and jagged spikes with a pair of dark red pants.

Their eyes widen.

 _"Bradford!"_

 _"Rad-Brad!"_

He smirked coldly down at them, "Look what I found. Four soon-to-be-ex-turtles." he threatened, still a little peeved about the mercenary's escape. Donnie and Mikey shrunk back in fear, "I'm sure glad it's okay to be scared."

Donnie gulped, "You and me both."

Leo unsheathed his swords, glaring at the mutant dog, "This is _no_ time to panic!"

The large dog took one threatening step towards them, his shadow illuminating them, "...Okay, maybe _a little._ " and they unsheathe their respective weapons. All turtles stepped back, Mikey quivering in fear, shakily holding his nunchucks, "He keeps getting _taller!_ "

"Then I'll cut him down to size!"

Leo leaps up to Dogpound's side, attempting to slice his spikes. He quickly bounced off of the canine, dodging a fist. He back flipped, avoiding a large oncoming fist from the over sized dog.

"Uh, let's stick together on this one." Leo said wearily. Dogpound went in for another punch, causing all of the turtles to jump, his fist landing on the concrete floor with a crack.

Raph attempted to stab his hand with the tip of his Sai, the canine blocking it. Donnie jabbed his staff to the dog's throat. He punched both turtles away, Leo running up to him with his swords poised.

With a loud cry, he swung both swords over his head, leaping up and stabbing one of his spikes. Dogpound smirked coldly. Leo tried to kick him but the dog backed his head away, startling the blue clad leader. Leo leapt off him with a startled yelp, managing to jerk his swords away.

Mikey zipp lined with his kusarigama chain with a loud cry, attempting to kick him. Dogpound merely slapped him away, causing Mikey to crash into Donnie.

Donnie turned his head to Leo, "This is _hopeless!_ "

"Keep your head in the game!"

He gripped his Bo staff tighter, "I just wanna keep my head _on my **body!**_ "

Raph kept his glare on the dog, tightening his grip, "Come on, what are we retreating for?" he ran full speed at Dogpound. He threw a punch but it was dodged and he was thrown into a dumpster. A second later, the lid opened, "That's a good reason."

Leo turned his head to Mikey, "Mikey, smoke!"

Mikey quickly, but nervously, searched his belt for the egg, grabbing it. He started to bounce it with his hands as it almost fell. Unfortunately, his balance was off, and the egg landed with a sickening splat and a small puff of purple smoke appeared.

"What was _that?!_ "

"I'm _stressed!_ Excuse me if my aim's _a little_ _off!_ "

"How _hard_ is it to _hit_ the ground?!"

Raphael threw his smoke bomb down to a small vent to the ground, the egg landing in the hole. He bent down and as his hand landed on the vent, it dropped into the sewer water, Raph growling in frustration.

"Not so easy, _is it?_ "

Leo turned to them, annoyed, "Oh, will you guys just -" and his eyes turned white and threw a smoke bomb to the ground, all of them disappearing into the purple mist.

* * *

Dogpound's ear twitched and he sharply turned towards April. April gasped as the canine stalked towards her, a soft gasp escaping from her throat. All of the turtles hurriedly leapt from the metal staircases, only to find April gone.

They all ran to the open road, witnessing Dogpound hanging to the back, laughing coldly at them.

 _"No! We're too late!"_

Leo screamed into his T-Phone, " _April!_ _April!_ Are you _there?!_ "

Donnie outstretched an arm to him, "She's not gonna answer, Leo."

Leo started to shake, holding his head in his hands, _"What do we **do?** We gotta get April out of that van but-but Dogpound's in there, and we're **not ready** to fight that guy! A-And we **still** don't know where Jewel is, and for some reason, Shredder wants her and she could be in **danger!** Aw, Splinter was right! We **should've** stayed below!"_ Leo yelled, shaking and possibly having a panic attack.

Raph groaned, "Can't believe I'm gonna say this," he muttered loud enough for Leo to hear. He raised one fist, "Get it together, _Captain!_ You're our _leader!_ So _act_ like one!"

Leo rose his head, immediately calming down, casting a grateful side glance at his brother, "You're right, Raph." he fully turned to him now, "That was the anxiety ray talking."

Raph folded his arms on his chest, smirking, "What, that's it? You're not gonna _slap_ yourself?"

 _"Yoo hoo!"_

All turtles froze at that sound. It came off from a distance...and behind them. Slowly, they turned around to find Jewel on a building. She laid on her side, her right elbow resting on the concrete, her hand was prodded on the side of her head and she crossed her legs a little. She waved her free hand, "Hey, guys! What'd I miss?"

Donnie and Mikey laughed, shaking their heads. Raph raised a brow and Leo nearly doubled over in relief. "Where the _heck_ have you been?! I - mean _we_ \- were worried about you!" Leo exclaimed, blushing and stumbling all over his words. The other three smirked teasingly at him, snorting and snickering.

Jewel examined her nails, "Oh, you know, the usual! Dogpound captured me, I escaped, and I super speeded to Argentina. Any of you want _empanadas?_ "

The other three busted into boisterous laughter, Leo simply sighed and smiled at the girl.

Gorgeous, kind, and strong...but _a lot_ of work.

* * *

 _"Yeah! This is **RAD!** "_

All turtles and Jewel were in Donnie's latest invention: The Patrol Buggy. Jewel was in the middle of the turtles, her buggy pink with black tiger stripes decorated on it. All had sports hats while Jewel wore her black, pink, and blue gymnastic cap, her hair pulled back into a slicked ponytail.

Along with Mikey, she whooped a few times, coming to a halt to play a game on her phone.

"It's **_not_** ready! And _seriously?!_ You're on your phone?! **_Now?!_** "

"It's a _really_ hard level!"

"This thing is **_awesome!_** Does it have a radio?!"

" _No! It doesn't have a **radio!**_ I'm telling ya it's _not_ ready! And is that a _gun_ in Jewel's pocket?!"

"Seems ready to _me!_ " Leo yelled, turning his wheel slightly before it detaches from the buggy, _"Whoa!"_ quickly, he reattaches it back on, ignoring Jewel's giggle, "Eh, okay, don't pull on that, and we'll be fine. And Jewel, why do you have a gun in your pocket?"

 _"Is that a **knife?!** "_

Jewel rolled her eyes and groaned, "Tell you later."

They take a turn and see Dogpound hanging off a truck. "Raph, Jewel, get ready!" Leo ordered. Jewel raised an eyebrow, "Ready for what?!"

 _"This!"_

All of the carts suddenly separated, causing a startled cry from Raphael, a grunt from Jewel, and a whoop of joy from Mikey. They all passed the truck and took a small turn to follow it. Jewel sped her buggy next to Leo, "Y'know, you could've been _a little more specific, Lion Boy!_ " she yelled in frustration, her brows creating together. He merely smirked at the girl, "Where's the fun in _that?_ "

Her expression calmed, a smile and a small giggle escaped her lips. "Get ready."

Donnie took a glance from his buggy, which was still connected to Leo's. He gasped in realization, however, before he could speak, a feminine voice stopped him in his tracks, "Oh, FYI Shredder's getting chlorosulfonic acid to dump into the sewers. Apparently, the acid reacts violently with water." she explained nonchalantly.

Donnie and Leo gaped at her before Donnie nodded his head, "So, if he dumps it in the sewer," Leo adds in realization, "It'll all be incinerated in seconds _including the_ _lair!_ " Donnie finishes before he snapped his head to the female mercenary, "And how do _you_ know Shredder's plan?!"

 _"And Splinter!"_ Leo said at the same time.

"Clara told me!" she said quickly.

Raph's eyes popped out of their sockets at the mention of the female thief, jerking his head to Jewel, "You mean that _thief!_ " he screamed, shaking his head, "Jewel, you _can't_ hang out with her! She is _bad_ news!"

Jewel narrowed her eyes, grounding her teeth together, "I can hang out with _whoever_ I want, _Raphie!_ And since when was it _your_ job to tell me what to do?!"

* * *

The turtles and mercenary speeded towards the truck. "Donnie! You and Raph stay with the van and save April!" Leo ordered, snapping his head to Mikey and Jewel, "Jewel, Mikey, you're coming with me! We _have_ to stop that tanker!"

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, _I'm_ stuck with _Raph._ " Mikey replied. Raph suddenly smirked, "No problem." and he pulls on the lever, detaching himself from Mikey.

 ** _"AAAAHHHH!"_** Mikey yells while Jewel laughs, Raph smirking, "Well that _was_ fun!"

 _"Told ya!"_

Donnie whooped as he pull his lever as well, all turtles and mercenary heading off in their respective directions. Mikey and Jewel speed up to Leo, "Julie, Mikey, let's slow this thing down! Fire grappling hooks!" he hollers.

"Got it!"

"Way ahead of you, chief!"

All three press on a button and all of their grappling hooks fire, latching it on to the truck...before they all snap off...

Jewel face palms, shaking her head, "You have got to be kidding me!" she shrieks. Mikey turned his head to Leo, "Donnie _did_ say they weren't ready!"

 _"I know!"_

* * *

"Is that _all_ you got?"

Dogpound growls at the mutant turtle and begins to run full force at him. Mikey's buggy skids to a stop as Jewel super speeds next to Leonardo, her tanto poised, "I think that might be a _'maybe'?_ " she quirks, her brows furrowing together.

"I'd say that's a _'no'._ " Mikey squeaks.

All three attain a defensive stance, weapons poised as the dog runs up to them. Less than a second later, all three charge at the mutant, leaping as he lands a fist to the ground, creating a shallow dent. Mikey flies off of him as the dog punches him away while Leo swiftly lands on the ground.

Leo slices his swords at him, Dogpound blocking them with his larger fist. Leo manages to evade his punches, tightening his grip on his katanas. He slices yet again, only to be punched onto the concrete road. Mikey attempts to land a flying kick to him, bouncing off a lamppost as Dogpound punches him back to the ground. Leo slices at him again, Dogpound landing a kick to his plastron, crashing him next to Mikey.

He walks up to him, Leo blinking the stars out of his vision as he lands a smoke bomb to the ground, he and Mikey disappearing into the purple mist. Dogpound snaps his head left to right at their retreating forms. Unknown to him, another purple cloud appears, revealing the two turtles onto the roof.

 _"Yoo Hoo!"_

Dogpound sharply turns around, smirking at the raven haired kunoichi, who had her arms folded on her chest and kept her face. She looked down at his pants, smirking all of the sudden, "Why are you wearing _red_ pants? Aren't you a _boy?_ " she teased.

It took all of their power not to laugh at the mercenary's quip, both turtles slapping a hand to their mouths, their chests heaving with restrained giggles.

Dogpound growled and rapidly stomped up to her, only for her to flip away, gracefully landing on both feet. Suddenly, she bent down a bit and placed both hands on her knees, "Come on boy! You can do it! Come on boy!" she teased, her voice high pitched and taunting.

He growled yet again and swung a fist at her, only for her to dodge ever so quickly, inspecting it while smirking playfully at him, "Nope."

He swung it yet again, her reflexes rapid and dodging it, "Nice try!"

He attempted to stomp his foot on her, the mercenary back flipping away from it while keeping her taunting smirks painted on her lips, "Can't touch this."

And suddenly, she leapt onto him, landing on his head. She grabbed his head and yanked him in any direction, riding him as of he were a pony.

"Giddy up, horsey! Giddy up!" she teased, laughing. He whined at how hard she was gripping his ears.

"Yanking, yanking!" she quipped, smirking before laughing her right hand on fire. She used the flamed hand and lightly patted it on his fur, earning a yelp and a whine of pain. He reached a paw on her back and threw her off.

" _Oof! Hey!_ That's _not_ how a pony rode goes, ya little mutt!"

* * *

Leo flipped away from Bradford as he growled at him, walking away from the yellow and green chemical.

"What'd Donnie say about this stuff?" he asked himself before realization dawned on him. He snapped his head to Mikey, "Mikey! Throw the water balloon!" he ordered. Jewel raised an eyebrow at him before crossing her arms.

Mikey looked down nervously, his hands folded behind his back, "Uh, _what_ water balloon?"

"The one you were gonna hit _me_ with!"

Mikey took a glance at the balloon, Jewel stretching her neck to get a look, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, "Really? _Now?_ " she snapped.

"Dude, you are _good._ "

Mikey threw the balloon as ordered, and before it hit the water, Leo shoved both Jewel and Mikey out of the way, both grunting in surprise.

As the water landed, the truck exploded, knocking Dogpound away and all three of them leaping behind a car.

All stood and Leo smiled at Mikey, "Nice shot, Mi -"

 ** _SPLASH!_**

Water exploded across his vision, damping his whole face and mask. "Dr. Prankenstein for the **_win!_** "

"You had _two?_ _Where_ do you keep them?"

Jewel doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach. Leo blushed and scratched his neck, averting his eyes. Mikey smirked evilly and raised a hand. Jewel's laughing abruptly stopped and she said her gun out of her pocket and aimed it at Mikey's forehead. "Try it and find out what happens." she threatened, narrowing her eyes. Mikey whimpered and immediately dropped his water balloon, dropping it with a splash.

Leo looked up sharply and saw Jewel sliding her gun back into her pocket. He narrowed his eyes at it and silently vowed that he would talk to her about this.

* * *

" _Unless_ Michelangelo throws that water balloon." Splinter warned, his back turned, eyes closed, and his hands folded behind his back.

All three turtles blinked and sharply turned their heads at Michelangelo, who had his arm raised above his head with a light blue water balloon aimed at Jewel, who raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at him, folding her arms on her chest.

Mikey chuckled sheepishly, forcing a smile at his glaring brothers. All three narrowed his eyes at them, _"You are **so** gonna get it!"_ Raph growled. Leo, Donnie, and Raph tackled the running turtle, who dropped his balloon and screamed helplessly, squirming beneath them. Jewel threw her head back and laughed hysterically, pointing at him.

* * *

"And then, after Shredder electro shocked me, I became one of his elite mercenaries and assassins. I managed to escape and quit gymnastics...but I just...kept on being a mercenary..."

Jewel sat on the pit of the living room, Splinter, April, and the turtles listening intently while she explained more of her past. Splinter hummed and stroked his beard, closing his eyes thoughtfully.

Jewel sighed and looked down at the floor in shame. Suddenly, she felt a presence sit next to her. She raised her head and turned to see Leonardo sit next to her, smiling. He held out his hand. She stared at it, raising hers and hesitantly taking a hold of it, easing her grip. She smiled back in gratitude, mouthing a thanks.

Splinter walked up to them, "Julia, please tell me. _Why_ did you not tell us the truth from the beginning?" he asked, frowning and raising a curious brow at her.

She tensed and averted her eyes left and right, tightening her grip on Leo's hand. He noticed and rubbed his thumb soothingly on the back of her hand. She sharply turned her head to it and smiled softly at it before to him.

She looked back up at Splinter, "At first...I thought you would all just send me back to the streets, or attack me, or turn me in. But...then I realized...it wasn't about that. As I got to know more about you, I noticed...you're all heroes. You guys tried to stop the Kraang and you're all helping April to get her dad back. Me? I'm not a hero. I'm.." she trailed off, looking at April, who frowned sympathetically at her, she looked at Donnie, who smiled and nodded his head in encouragement, then Mikey, who smiled and he gives her a thumbs up, then at Raph, who narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head firmly at her, obviously not on her side.

And then...to Leonardo. He smiled warmly at her and his eyes were soft and inviting, he nodded once. She looked back up to Splinter, "I'm just a bad girl who gets paid to beat up worse guys and girls than me. Think of me as a tooth fairy, a messed up one who knocks out the teeth and takes the cash." she said calmly, her eyes bright and her smile shining.

Splinter smiled at her, laying a clawed hand on her shoulder, "Answer me this. Would you ever turn against us if someone paid you to?"

She merely smiled, shaking her head, " _That_ I _can't_ do. I'll take the money, but I won't attack you."

Everyone laughed, except for Raphael, who glared at her, and Splinter shook his head, "That was all I needed to hear." and with that, he walked back to the dojo. Jewel raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Wait. Does that mean you guys don't hate me?"

Leo smiled, "Why _would_ we? You're not attacking us. And, sure, we don't like that you're...destroying people. But you are who you are. And we _can't_ change that."

Jewel just stared at him, awestruck. Suddenly, she leaned in and firmly placed a kiss on his cheeks, "Thanks, Hero Boy."

He blinked rapidly, blushing at the girl, ignoring everyone's laughter.

 _Boy is he going to get **a lot** of teasing tonight._

* * *

 **And there you go! Hoped you liked it, and yes, Jewel is an Anti-Heroine. I wanted to try something out and I hoped this worked. More on the way.**

 **Bye!**


	12. Mousers Attack!

**Clare, I love you, and you're AWESOME! Anyway, I can't wait to write your scene! Although, please don't be mad, but I might have to change the redemption part. It's a cool idea, but I don't think it would be both fair to Jewel and Clara. Since Clara is also an anti hero like Jewel, it doesn't really seem fair that she would get a redemption and Jewel doesn't. I hope you understand. Sorry.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

I sit on the couch, drawing in my sketchbook. This time, I drew a drawing of a girl walking down the runway. She's wearing a blue halter dress with no back, including a square neckline. She has pale skin, blue n' green eyes, and curly blonde hair. I feel someone take a seat next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an emerald green turtle, with ocean blue eyes, and a blue mask.

I smile without even looking at him, "Hey, Lion Boy." I greet. I see him jump a bit, startled, "How'd you know it was me?" he asks, a puzzled expression creasing his features. I fully turn my head to him, smirking, "Oh, y'know, just a feeling, _I guess._ " I say, shrugging one shoulder coyly. He raises an eyebrow before he smiles and chuckles softly at the memory when he was helping me meditate.

"Nothing ever gets by you, _does it_ Jewel?" he asks, a smirk growing on his lips. I set my sketchbook and pencil down, "Well, when you're a highly skilled female ninja, _and_ a highly skilled mercenary, nothing _can_ ever get by you." I quip, earning a snicker in response. Then, his shoulders tense, and his smile drops, turning into a nervous frown. I drop my smirk off my face, quirking a brow, "What? What is it?"

He raises a three fingered hand, and points behind me. I shake my head a little, raising an eyebrow and slowly, I turn my head...my eyes widening slightly before I frown deeply at the sight I'm seeing.

There, in front of me, standing with her hands folded, fiddling with her fingers...is Gwen.

My mouth forms into a thin line, narrowing my eyes at her. _What the_ heck _does she want?!_

She purses her lips together, something she always does when she's nervous, "Can we, umm, talk?" she asks, her voice small and quiet. My eyes narrow into angry slits, my hand snaking to my gun. _Looks like I'm gonna have to scare her away..._

Suddenly, a big, soft, three fingered hand snatches my wrist, holding it in a tight grasp. I snap my gaze towards Leo, opening my mouth to protest; before shutting it close as he held a stern look on his face and shaking his head once, narrowing his eyes a bit. I slide my eyes over to Gwen, then back to Leo, and then down to my gun.

I sigh heavily, gently tugging my hand away from his some-what crushing grip. I slowly rise out of my seat, fully turning my whole body to Gwen. "Okay." I say, motioning my head to my room, "Let's talk in my room."

She nods, walking behind me as we walk towards my room. This _better_ be good.

* * *

"Okay...let's hear what you have to say."

We were in my room. I was sitting on my bed, while Gwen was standing in front of me, shifting her feet. Finally, she exhales, "Okay...look, I'm _really_ sorry about insulting Leo. I didn't mean any of what I said. I just...I just got caught up in the moment. You know how I get whenever I lose my temper." she explains, frowning. My face slightly softens a bit, looking down at my lap.

My eyes shift nervously, I gulp a little. Well...I wasn't _exactly_ being honest with her all these years...

I take a quick glance at her. She looks around my room, refusing to meet my eyes, and she fiddles with her fingers, shuffling her feet. I sigh heavily, _Dang it...!_

I shrug and give her a lopsided smile, "Okay, you've made your point. But," I start, holding one finger up in warning, "If you ever do something like this again...I will _not_ hesitate to _blow your head off._ " I threaten. Her eyes widen in surprise, tilting her head a bit before she bursts into a fit of giggles, "Got it. And I really _am_ sorry." she says, her voice soft and gentle. I smile at her, "It's okay. I'm sorry too."

"Let's promise to never say anything like that to each other... _psycho._ " she teases, smirking at me. I smirk back in mischief, _"Grunge."_

She folds her arms and rolls her eyes, smiling. "Quick question, though. The other day when Clara came by...why did you insult her about the model thing? I thought you _hate_ modeling." I ask, raising a brow. She pouts a little, narrowing her eyes, "It's just...I _do_ hate modeling, but..." she says, sighing in exasperation, rubbing a finger on her temple, "How do I explain this."

She raises her head to fully look at me, her face cold as stone and serious, "I know you're a mercenary. And I know Clara's a thief." she says, her tone cold and bold.

My brows furrow together and my eyes widen, "But -"

She holds out her hand in a stopping position, "I found out a year ago. I saw some guy's name on a card and a gun in your duffel bag. And as for Clara...well, let's just say a huge diamond spilled out of her designer purse. And with how she lives...I put two and two together." she explains, her tone changing in a nonchalant way.

Oh _come on!_ It's bad enough I have _Raph_ against me, _now Gwen too?!_

"And she stole my knuckle brass." she deadpans, "And the fact that they chose me over her when they were recruiting models," she shrugs, smirking, "Well, let's just call that payback."

* * *

After Gwen left after about an hour, I enter the dojo and start doing a few exercises with the guys. We started practicing our forms...although Lion Boy went a little slower.

" _Ha!_ What, are you fighting a guy in _slow_ motion?" Raph teases Leo. I roll my eyes skyward and bite back a retort of my own...I'm _really_ starting to get sick of this...

Leo raises an unimpressed brow, "I suppose I could do it faster, if I ignored my form, _like you._ " he retorts calmly, his voice slightly nonchalant. I snicker, _"Burn!"_ I mutter, loud enough for Raph to hear.

He growls at me before snapping back to Leo, "Ignore _this_ form!"

And Raph leaps in front of Leo, sliding away to prevent a kick to the face. Both throw a few punches, kicks, blocks. Donnie, Mikey, and I watch, me folding my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes, and shaking my head dismissively. Seriously? It's only been _twenty seconds_ and they're _already_ fighting!

Splinters frowns in annoyance and his brows furrow together. He walks up to them, hands behind his back. He releases his hands and prods his fingers on both turtles neck, hitting their pressure point. Their pupils shrink and they yelp in pain. Both heads collide and they fall onto the mats, Splinter remaining his calm composure.

"Competition is an excellent motivator, but _not_ when it turns you against _each other._ " he explains strictly, both turtles rubbing the side of their neck. I snort, careful for the guys not to hear.

"So now, you will spar two on two." he orders. Leo smiled smugly, folding his arms, "Okay. I'll take Don -"

" _You_ will take Raphael."

Leo's and Raph's eyebrows raises in surprise, taking a quick glance at each other before turning their attention back to Splinter, "You two must focus on working together, not _competing_ with each other."

"Okay, so me and Raph, against _Mikey and Donnie,_ " Leo scoffs and chuckles a bit, "Uh, isn't that a little _unfair?_ " I shake my head, rolling my eyes for the umpteenth time. "This should be good."

Donnie and Mikey blink in surprise, Mikey crossing his arms, " _Wait_... _what_ are you trying to _say?_ " D asks, his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes slowly. Uh oh...

I slide over to Splinter, "Um, how can I put this _gently?_ " Raph asks, placing a mocking hand to his mouth. I roll my eyes and scoff, "He's saying that he and Lion Boy are way better than you two." I deadpan.

Mikey scoffed, waving a dismissive three fingered hand, "At _fighting,_ maybe."

"Uh, that's what I _meant._ "

Both Mikey and Don glare at the two, _"Oh? Fine."_

Splinter and I watch the four turtles attain battle stances. Lion Boy and Raph smirk, Donnie and Mikey glaring. I kept my arms folding across my chest, shaking my head a little and chuckling, "Oh, this is gonna be _good._ "

The air was thick with tension, before Splinter called out, _"Hajime!"_

All four charged at each other in one fluid motion. Leo punched Mikey in the face, same to Raph and Donnie, Leo elbowed Mikey in his stomach, and Raph kicked Donnie. I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent a laugh.

Leo and Raph laughed as they switched, grasping their hands before charging at their new opponents.

Raph slammed his elbow hard on Mikey's face, Leo shoved Donnie away hard, Raph sent Mikey flying with a kick, and Leo punched the side of Donnie's face.

Mikey and Donnie landed on the dojo mats with pained grunts, faces covered in bruises. Leo was standing over Donnie, Raph standing over Mikey, wearing triumphant smirks on their faces.

 _"Yame!"_

You were right, Sensei." Raph said, turning his head to us, "Working together _is_ fun."

Suddenly, a mischievous grin stretched across Splinter's snout, gleaming in his eyes. He gestured a clawed hand to me, "Then perhaps you wouldn't mind sparring with a _kunoichi._ "

I turned my head to all four of them, grinning ear to ear, mischief dancing in my expression. "Now _that's_ what _I_ call a _challenge._ "

I step forward, attaining a battle stance. The guys gulp and their pupils shrink a bit, all of them glancing at each other. Immediately, they regain their composure, Raph stepping forward, "Alright, _fire queen,_ " he cracks his head side to side, "Let's _dance._ "

I take on step forward, "And by _'dance',_ " I light my hand on fire, "...you mean let's try to _hurt each other!_ "

And I throw a fireball at him, his eyes widening in surprise, dodging it by an inch. All turtles yelp as the the flame disintegrates. Raph charges at me, ripping out a loud cry. I catch his fist and squeeze it a bit, using my super strength. There's a loud crack and Raph yelps in pain. I yank his fist towards me and throw him into Donnie. I hear two loud cries as Leo and Mikey run towards me. I smirk and back flip away from them. I flip a few more times towards Leo, who backs away as I corner him. Finally, I stop and kick him in his plastron, knocking him into the wall.

I do a back flip, my legs between Donnie's head. I push myself down, him landing with me. I twist my hip to the side, earning a loud cry from him. I let go and punch Raph to the face, kick Mikey on the cheek, and elbow Lion Boy hard in the snout. I counter and dodge all of their attacks, kicking and punching them all over. I prod a hand on my hip, smirking at the groaning turtles, their skins discolored in black and blue.

"So," I start, blowing once on my fingers, pretending to examine them, " Who's better than you _now?_ " I mock, earning a chuckle from Splinter.

* * *

I sketch in my notebook while watching Space Heroes, Raph sitting near me, reading some comic book of his. Leo comes out of the kitchen with a plate of pizza and a bowl of berries. He hands it to me, "Thanks. How's your nose?" I tease, bopping his bruised nose once, causing him to wince, " _Ugh,_ remind me to never tick _you_ off."

I giggle, pinching his snout again, earning a small cry of pain, making me laugh harder, "I didn't even pinch you that hard." I say, still giggling. He rubs his nose, "Yeah. Well, you did elbow me _hard_ on the face." he says, his voice slightly muffled. I shrug, "Good point."

He turns his head to Donnie and Mikey, ignoring their knowing smirks, "Look, guys. Raph and I _may_ be better fighters, but you're still an _important_ part of this team." he says, taking a seat on the floor.

"As important as you _two?_ " Donnie asks, frowning. Leo and Raph glanced at each other, "Uh, _very_ important. We shouldn't compare ourselves. It's-it's like apple and oranges."

"Yeah, if apples were way better, which _they are._ " Raph muttered, loud enough for all of us to hear. I huff and roll my eyes, "Oh, _good grief._ "

D's eyes widen in anger, "So...the _truth_ comes out!" he concludes, holding an index finger. Mikey flips upside from the couch, standing up, "You guys think of us as some kind of..." he narrows his eyes at the floor, searching for an answer, _"B-team!"_

Raph looks up from his comic, "Good one, Dr. Namenstein! We'll call you... _the B-team!_ "

I growl under my breath, narrowing my eyes at him. "Thanks." Mikey says, smiling before abruptly frowning, "I mean, _Hey!_ "

Leo smiles, shaking his head, "There's no shame in it." he gestures his finger to the T.V., "Look! _They've_ got a B-team _too!_ "

Two members of the ship get zapped and Captain Ryan shows no sympathy. I slap a hand over my face, groaning, "Nice work, _Hero Boy!_ What's next, they get _burned_ _alive?!_ " I bark, my voice lacing with sarcasm.

Suddenly, the whole lair falls silent. I look up to see all four turtles staring at me. I raise an eyebrow, "What?" I ask, raising a brow and looking up and down at them.

"So...which is it?" Donnie asks, folding his arms. I squint my eyes and tilt my head questioningly at them, "Which is what?" I ask wearily.

"Which team are _you_ on?"

I blink in surprise, "Uhh..." I say dumbly, my jaw dropping a little. I pursed my lips, looking down at my lap. I slide my eyes everywhere before turning my attention back to them, my face blank, "I'm on _my own_ team." I answer, shrugging one shoulder, "No offense...but I do _my_ own thing. I'm on _no one's_ team."

Raph scoffs with a roll of his eyes, "Whatever. We don't even _want_ you on our team, _murderer!_ " he barks. Donnie, Leo, and Mikey all glare at him, "Shut it, Raph! Leave her alone!" Leo retorts, clenching his hands. Mikey and D nod, "Yeah, dude! That's so _insensitive._ " Donnie folds his arms over his chest, "Seriously, Raph, just get _over it, already!"_

Out of the corner of my eye, I see April walk in. I turn my head to her and raise an eyebrow. Her brows were furrowed together, she was frowning, and she had her arms wrapped around herself. Also, she had a few bruises and her cheeks were glazed with tears.

Donnie looks over to her and his eyes widen. "April! What's wrong? Are you okay?" he asks, all of us standing in front of her. She sniffed, "I just got mugged by some Purple Dragons! They stole my phone!" she says, upset.

"Don't worry. We'll kick their butts for you!" Lion Boy says. Raph lands a fist inside his open palm, punching it once, face set hard with resolve, "Yeah, we'll teach those punks to mess with April O'Neil!"

"Guys...it's just a _phone_. I'll get another one." April says. I nod, planting a hand on my hip, "She's right. It's really _not_ that big of a deal."

Donnie shrugs, "Come on. What's the _point_ of being a _ninja_ if you can't help your friends when they get robbed?" I clear my throat, making them turn their heads to me, "Umm, there is one thing you can do if someone bad does something to you...you call a _mercenary_ to take care of the problem." I deadpan. Raph growls, "Except, unlike a mercenary, we have a code of _honor._ Which is obviously something that _you don't have!_ " he retorts, glaring fiercely at me. I narrow my eyes and my jaw starts to clench.

Before I could say anything, a new voice entered in the conversation, "April is right." Splinter says, standing in front of the dojo's entrance, one hand behind his back while he's holding his emerald staff, "It is best to let this go."

"What do you mean? Why shouldn't we get her phone back?"

He walks up to us, "One cannot predict the consequences of battle. Every fight has the potential to stir a hornet's nest. A simple cell phone _does not_ justify this risk." he explains.

Raph raises an eye ridge, "What risk? It's the _Purple Dragons,_ even _Mikey and Donnie_ could beat 'em!" he says, smirking smugly and folding his arms over his chest.

Both turtles faces dropped from smiles to angry glares, _"Hey!"_

And he points his thumb to me, "And Jewel was paid to _start_ pointless battles!" he exclaims, snapping his head to me to glare and shake his head disapprovingly. I fold my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes into angry slits. Leo nudges him in the stomach and shakes his head sternly. "That's different! The only reason it didn't start some crazy war is because those people were, what I like to call, _'un-alived'!_ So stick it up in your shell and _smoke it!_ " I retort, growling a bit.

Leo holds back a laugh while trying to regain his composure, "Don't worry, Sensei. We'll be _careful._ " he assured him before he and the others hop from the turnstiles. Leo pauses in his tracks, turning his head to me, "Jewel, you coming?" he asked.

I raise my eyebrows, sliding my gaze to Sensei and April, before sliding it back to Lion Boy. I shrug at them helplessly and hop over the turnstiles and follow Lion Boy. "I _better not_ regret this, Lion Boy!" I mutter, loud enough for him to hear. He throws his head back and laughs, "I promise. You're not gonna regret this."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

* * *

We stare from the windows of the Purple Dragon's hideout. They throw knives at a regular turtle picture...and stare at my bikini picture. **_Oh, COME ON!_**

The turtles and I stand on the support beams. Raph jumps down, landing a hard punch into the big one's stomach. The other Dragons jump in surprise.

"The _turtles?!_ And the _bikini model?!_ "

"Sup."

The rest of us jump down next to Raph, Mikey making a dramatic gesture, creating some weird kung fu noise. I glare at the leader, my hair on fire, "Okay, seriously, I did _more than bikini shoots, people!_ "

 _"Get 'em!"_

The one with the ponytail attempts to land a flying punch at us, Mikey smirking, unsheathing his nunchucks out, spinning them, "Bring it!"

"Comin' through!" Raph yells, landing a flying kick to the guy's side. Mikey growls in irritation, glaring at his brother. I roll my eyes, super speeding to the leader. I stop when I see Donnie and him running up to each other, reading to charge...only for Leo to intervene, "I got it!" he yelled, kicking the leader in the stomach. I seriously cannot remember their names! Donnie glares, "Hey!"

I shake my head, speeding towards... _Fong! Ugh, finally! That's been bugging me since we got here!_

I punch him hard in the jaw, making him take a few steps back. He turns his head back to me and rubs his lower jaw, wiping the blood from his lips. He smirks a little, "Geez, Hottie, I didn't know you were so strong...but I did know you were always so _smokin' hot!_ " he compliments, a flirty smirk crossing his features. I narrow my eyes at him, unsheathing my tanto sword, "Well I got a few more little surprises for you, _pal!_ "

I raise my small sword over my head, charging at him with a battle cry. I slice at his left arm, causing a small trail of blood to slide down from it. He winces and holds his arm in pain. I light my hand on fire and punch him in the gut. "Let's get out of here!" he exclaims, running away with Tsoi. The turtles corner them, Leo pinning a firm hand on Fong's chest to the wall.

Lion Boy glares at him, "You punks stole a phone from a friend of ours. We want it back." he orders. Fong scoffs and holds his hands up in mock surrender, "Whatever. We steal _a lot_ of phones!"

"Well let's see 'em! _Now!"_

* * *

We walk to see a table filled with a bunch of junk. I raise an eyebrow at the items they stole, " _Geesh!_ Get a hobby. Or more importantly, a _personality!_ " I say, catching a glint of white out of the corner of my eye. I turn to face the object and my eyes widen. "My gun!" I exclaim, a smile stretching across my lips and I grab the gun from their table, hugging it to my face, "Oh, this was my _favorite_ gun! I used it on my very first mission as a mercenary. After I escaped from Shredder."

They all give me a weird expression, Leo holding back a laugh. Donnie points out some other object, "Hey, that looks like it!" I turn my gaze towards the red phone and suddenly, the whole place starts to shake and rumble, startling us.

"Does _anyone else_ feel that?!"

"Mikey...what did you _eat?!_ "

"What's _going on?!_ "

Suddenly, the ground between us and the table cracks, creating a large black hole in the floor. And then, and then small, robotic robots crawl from it. They were white, with a large head and metallic jaws. They kept coming at a rapid speed, a cat like sound emitting from them.

"What the heck?" Lion Boy says. I land a hand on his shoulder, which was a little tense, "Uh...can I shoot it? Please?" he turns his head to me, "Um...yeah, sure, go ahead." he answered wearily.

Three of them snap their jaws at the items and snatch them. They go back under the large crack they made and more appear. I narrow my eyes and position the gun. I take one breath, and pull the trigger.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The robot's head blows off, electric circuits and smoke emitting from it. Leo looks at me in awe, "Jewel, that was...a _perfect_ shot!" he exclaims, a ghost of a smile appearing from his lips. I smirk and chuckle at him, "Thanks, Lion Boy."

* * *

 **No one's P.O.V.**

Donnie and Mikey stood above the warehouse, silent as the wind, eyes white. They observed Dogpound's and Fong's conversation from below. Mikey frowned, _"Aww,_ _man!"_ he groaned, his brows creasing with uncertainty, turning his head towards the purple banded genius, "We can't take Dogpound on our _own!_ " he said, his eyes weary and unsure, awkwardly shrugging one shoulder, "Maybe we should wait for Leo and Raph and Jewel." he argued weakly, feeling it was the best decision.

Donnie's eyes narrowed a bit, vigorously shaking his head, "And tell them we _chickened out?!_ " he rebutted, frowning at his youngest brother, "Then they'll _never_ stop calling us the _B-team!_ " he countered. Mikey raised a brow, "But... _Jewel_ didn't call us that." Mikey argued. Donnie turned his head and his expression softened a bit, "True...but she didn't _really_ defend us. And besides, like she said, she's on her _own_ team."

It was a tense silent after, Donnie putting it at an end, "We'll use stealth." Donnie started, a determined glint in his eyes, "With the right plan, we can grab the phone _without_ Dogpound ever seeing us. Okay?" Donnie asked, Mikey smiling with a faint nod of approval.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, crouched Clara. She secured her scarf firmly, carefully prying the window open with ease. Her eyes were narrowed, and she leapt down behind one of the wooden crates, waiting for the opportunity to just be right. The right time to snatch every dollar Dogpound was worth...

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

"Did I mention how much I **_HATE_** robots?!" I holler, running with Leo and Raph at a rapid pace. We learned Baxter Stockman built a bunch of M.O.U.S.E.R.S. as revenge. He sprayed Leo and Raph with some kind of spray and now his robots are chasing us. Well...they're chasing _Lion Boy and Raph._ Baxter decided to spare me as a token of his appreciation. Unfortunately for me, he remembers the small peck on the lips I gave him.

"Yes! _Several_ times!" Raph retorts in annoyance. We start leaping over a bunch of rooftops, panting. We finally come to a halt, bending over in exhaustion. Leo weakly turns his head to us, "You think we lost them yet?" he asks us tiredly. We hear a 'whirring' sound and turn to see more M.O.U.S.E.R.S.

"I'd say 'no'."

"Ummm...there's a _slight_ possibility. A small one, though."

We leap over another rooftop, "How are those things _tracking us?!_ " Lion Boy exclaims in annoyance. I roll my eyes, "Maybe they want their leash back?" I suggest, shrugging one shoulder, Raph rolling his eyes while we run and leap. "It's gotta be that stuff he sprayed us with!"

"You mean the stuff he sprayed _you two_ with." I deadpan, my expression morphing into annoyance. We run a little more, Leo turning his head to us, "All right. We better call Donnie." he says. Raph snaps his head to him, anger creasing his features, "You want to get bailed out by the _B-team?! Forget that!_ "

I narrow my eyes, "It might be the only option _you two_ have! And serves you right for making fun of them!" I yell, my legs on fire...literally

* * *

I start shooting at the robots, keeping a firm grasp on the street lamp. I super speed to an alleyway, witnessing Leo and Raph fending off a bunch of robots. I smirk and slowly walk up to them. I sneak behind Leo and tap his shoulder. He screams and points the tip of his katana at me, eyes shrinking when he sees it's just me. Raph pauses his bashing to laugh at him.

Lion Boy smiles sheepishly at me, lowering his sword. I gently shove him and Raph behind me, "Step aside, boys. And let the fire queen do her work." I say to them, holding my arms and hands, bracing myself. The robots come running towards us, run at full speed. I can Leo placing a quivering hand on my shoulder, making it tingle with... _comfort?_

My brows furrow together, I shift my feet, and I take a deep breath. When they finally come close enough, I send a shock wave of fire from my hands, melting all of them in the river of fire. I stifle a laugh when Raph yelps, startled and surprised. I lower my hands, turning halfway to the boys, smirking coyly at them. "So," I start off casually, "Pretty _sweet,_ huh?"

Leo smiles at me and Raph scoffs, folding his arms over his chest. I roll my eyes knowingly at him, and fully turn to them. Suddenly, Lion Boy shoves himself into me, bear hugging me, "You totally saved us!" he exclaims. I stiffen in his arms, relaxing my shoulders a bit. A shock wave of...excitement fills me a little. Wait a minute, _excitement?_

Leo quickly lets go of me, blushing and smiling nervously, chuckling wearily, "Sorry." he chokes out, embarrassed. My eyebrows raise in confusion, and my back starts to feel warm, and I turn away from him, folding my arms over my chest, attempting to hide my blush. I clear my throat, "No problem." I grunt, coughing into my fist.

We hear a familiar 'whirring' sound and abruptly turn to see more coming our way. My jaw drops open in disbelief, I throw my arms out in frustration, "Oh. You. Have. Got. To be. _Freaking._ **_Kidding me!_** " I shriek, grabbing Leo's and Raph's hand, super speeding onto a nearby street.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

The lights suddenly, and mysteriously, go out. Dogpound and Baxter blink in confusion, snapping their heads to whoever the intruder was. "What's going on?" Dogpound asks in confusion, turning his head both ways, sniffing a little. Abruptly, two figures zoom past him, startling him a bit, but he quickly regains his composure. He growls in annoyance. Just then, one of the figures snatches the red phone away, his eyes widening, "The _phone!_ "

He adjusts his eyes to see two shells speeding away, panting as they did so. His eyes narrowed, and chases the two turtles, tackling them. Both turtles grunt in surprise, squirming under his grasp.

Mikey glances at Donnie nervously, "Well _that_ plan didn't work." he says, keeping a firm grasp on the phone. Dogpound growls threateningly at Mikey and Donnie, bearing his glistening fangs at them, when suddenly, a creaking sound is heard.

He grunts in confusion and quickly looks up, witnessing a girl wearing a tight, leather skin cat suit, turning a dial on his vault...which had his _millions_ in it!

Clara smirks triumphantly as she opens up the vault, unaware Dogpound witnessing her in the act. "Hey, ya little brat! Hands off my millions!" he shouts angrily at her, his clawed fists clenching, still keeping a firm grasp on Donnie and Mikey.

Clara's eyes widen as she grabs the stacks of dollar bills at a quick pace, stuffing them into her bag. As she slips the strap over shoulder and quickly turns around, the Purple Dragon goons surround her, pointing their knives at her.

"Oh, _man!_ " she mutters under her breath, cursing herself for getting caught by these low lives. "Drop it and hands up, _sweetheart!_ " Fong demands, smirking smugly at her. Clara drops the bag full of the stacks of dollar bills, raising her hands in surrender, fully knowing she didn't have much of a choice.

"Well you can't blame a girl for _trying, right?_ " she says sheepishly, chuckling nervously. "Chain them up." Dogpound commands.

* * *

Leo, Raph, and Jewel run a corner through the store, stopping near a lamp post, hunching over in exhaustion, panting and sweating, covered in a minimal amount of bruises. "Okay, this is _crazy!_ Maybe we should call -"

"We can do this!" Raph interrupts, panting in exhaustion. Jewel leans against the glass at the front of the store, "So...tired...need water...really hate...Baxter... _and all of_ _his stupid robots!_ " she pants, yelling the last line in anger and frustration.

He turns his head up at the lamp post, "I got an idea. Jewel, you're gonna have to use your gun and your fire powers." he says to her, hoping he wasn't going to regret this as she smirked in mischief. She slipped her gun out, twirling it in her hands, glinting in the moonlight, "I thought you'd never ask." she says, laughing maniacally. Leo chuckles at her and smiles at her lovingly. Raph rolls his eyes at his brother, "What do you see in her, again?" he mutters to him.

Jewel raises an eyebrow in confusion, pausing and turning her head towards them, "What?" she asks. Leo's eyes widen as he covers Raph's mouth, ignoring his muffled protests. "Uh, _nothing!_ " he chuckles nervously, blushing, and hoping beyond belief she didn't hear that.

The M.O.U.S.E.R.S. draw closer, looking for any signs of the two turtles. _"Yoo hoo!"_ they hear from a distance. They slowly turn around to find a coffee skinned girl at the end of the street, holding a gun out and smirking at them in smug satisfaction. "Looking for me?!" she yells like a maniac, pulling the trigger.

 ** _BOOM!_**

One robot goes down with a hard 'bang', a hole in its' head. They squawk at the girl, whose gun disappeared and she held out her arms. "Okay, I've only got _two_ fire blasts, so you're all gonna have to share, _okay?!_ " she yelled. They tilted their heads in confusion, and suddenly, they became engulfed in a burning flame. They jerked and twitched, melting away. A few stepped back in surprise, yowling. They snap their heads at the girl, who mysteriously disappeared.

They turn their heads up at the lamp post, finding the two turtles, glaring. The blue one banged his weapon on the lamp, "Up here, metal mouth!" he yelled, agitating them. They gathered around the post, biting and squawking at them. The blue one smirked, and leaps all over them, slashing and slicing his swords at them.

He leapt on a fire hydrant and leaps away as the small robot bared his fangs at it. Suddenly, something bursts, and all of the M.O.U.S.E.R.S. become engulfed in water, electric circuits appearing and shocking them. Raph swings away from the falling lamp post, all robots disabling.

Jewel super speeds next to Leo, smirking in triumph. Raph walked towards them and panted a little, exhaustion painting his features, "Told you we didn't need those guys." Jewel glared a him and stomped on his foot. He yowled in pain and clutched his foot, glaring at the mercenary. Another 'whirring' sound is heard, their pupils shrinking. More of the robots show up, growling robotically at them from the alleyway.

Jewel slapped her forehead, groaning. "Oh, _come on!_ " Leo groaned in frustration, he, Jewel, and Raph running into an old abandoned warehouse. All three barricaded the door, using their backs to seal it shut, grunting in effort as the robots banged against the door. Jewel pressed herself harder, using her super strength.

She glared at Raph, a knowing glare on her features, _"Raph."_ she says, a knowing tone in her voice. Raph groaned, "Okay, I _admit_ it! I wish _Donnie were here!_ I bet he could find a way to get these things _off our tail!_ " he admitted. Abruptly, a robot smashes its' head between Leo's legs, three startled cries emitting from all of them. _"Make the call!"_ Raph shrieked in fear, eyes widening. _"Hurry!"_ Jewel yelled.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

"Nice job, guys." Leo compliments. I smile at him before walking stealthily to a chained up Clara, ignoring Raph's sort of compliment.

"Jewel, what are you _doing?!_ " Raph yells at me in disbelief. I turn my head to him, my face blank, "Helping my friend. What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" I bluntly answer, grasping the chains.

 _"Why?!"_

"She's my _friend._ Aren't we supposed to _help_ our friends. I mean, isn't that what _heroes_ do?" I answer, melting her chains off. Raph stomps over to us, "She's a _thief!_ She should be _locked up!_ And, in case you didn't know, she's one of the most _wanted criminals in four different states and countries!_ " he shouts.

I roll my eyes, "Big deal. It's not like she hurt anybody. And who cares if she's a thief? It's not _that_ big of a deal!" I rebuttal, Clara leaping onto a platform and smirking at Raph, "Nice seeing you, Jewel. You too, turtle buddies. And bye, _Raphie Boy!_ " she says, winking at him, making him blush and growl like an animal. I snicker at him.

Clara salutes me before jumping out of the window. Raph growls at her retreating form, chasing after her as my eyes widen marginally. "We'll catch up with you guys!" I tell the others, not bothering to wait for a reply as I chase after him. I didn't want him to hurt Clara!

As I follow him to the rooftops, I hear a faint sound of Clara screaming and I super speed to the sound. Then, I see Raph giving her a shell wedgie as she screams in pain, " _Stop!_ I'm wearing _leather!_ " Clara exclaims in pain. Raph only growls at her, " _This_ is what you get for _stealing and knocking me into a wall!_ " he growls as he dangles her over the edge of the roof, my eyes widening.

Clara screams louder as her eyes widen, "What are you _doing?!_ " she shrieks in pain and fear. Raph smirks coldly at her, "Teaching you a lesson before taking you to the _cops!_ "

Clara gasps in fear, her eyes shining with unshed tears, " _No! Please!_ _Anything_ but _that!_ " she begs, closing her eyes painfully, her legs flailing in the air uselessly. I jump down next to Raph, my jaw clenching with anger, "Raph, _stop!_ " I demand, narrowing my eyes into angry slits, my knuckles turning white from how hard I'm gripping them.

Raph looks at me in anger and disbelief, "She's a _thief!_ She deserves this!" he growls. I place a hand on my hip, " _Aww,_ you're just mad because compared to _her, you're_ the one who likes you belong on the _B-team!_ " I snark with shrewd grin. He huffs, and I frown, "Come on, she's my first real friend. Please let her go. For me?" I say. Clara screams, _"No! Don't let go!"_ she screams in fear of falling off the roof. Raph sighs in defeat as he places her back onto the roof. Clara whimpers softly.

"What should we do with her since you won't let us turn her into the police?" he asks, gesturing to her. I smile, "I have an idea." I say.

* * *

I was sitting on the couch, patting Clara's head as she hugged my waist, whimpering. Everyone regards us with a skeptical look...and a glare from Raph.

"This is your _idea?!_ " he shouts, waving his arms in frustration, "Bring the _wanted thief home?!_ " he yells in disbelief. I roll my eyes, "She's my friend, Raph. And she can be some use to us." I say. Lion Boy sighs, "Jewel's right. Maybe we could use her help to spy on Shredder." he says and I smile at him in gratitude.

"I'm not going to spy on that _freak!_ " she growls. I sigh at her, "Cat, come on, this is the only way to avoid jail. Think of it as your jail free card." I say to her, smiling a bit. She sighs in defeat, "Okay." she mutters, "I'll do it, but _only for you,_ Jewel." she says, smiling at me and giving me a hug.

"But first, you have to do something before you're welcomed into the team." Raph says, folding his arms over his chest. Clara rolls her eyes, "And what would that be, _Hot Head?_ " she asks. Raph smirk mischievously. Uh oh...

A few minutes later, Clara starts screaming again, "Put me _down!_ " she exclaims. It looks like Raph took down the punching dummy from the hook, and put Clara up on the hook by her underwear, giving her a hanging wedgie. "In _five_ minutes, I will." he says, smirking. I told my arms and glare at him. He cocks a brow in confusion, "What?" he asks, shrugging one shoulder.

After five minutes, I manage to get Raph to let go of Clara...and let her kick him between the legs. I laugh with her as Raph curls himself to the floor, withering in pain. As I walk towards the kitchen, I get a beep from my phone. I slip the phone from my black leather pants, reading the message.

 _An old friend of mine has betrayed me. I want him to pay for his deceitful actions. Please meet me at an old abandoned alleyway, and I shall give you the card with his name and directions and I will reward you handsomely. Meet me there in two weeks at eight p.m._

 _-A.J. Watson_

My eyebrows raise in surprise, but I make a mental note of the date in my head, placing the phone back into my pocket. I see Lion Boy walking out of the kitchen, "Hey, Jewel." he says kindly. I smile in return, "Hey, Lion Boy." I say cooly, biting my bottom lip. I feel like I should say thank you for sticking up for me and letting Clara help, but I'm not so good on 'thank you'.

"Something wrong?" he asks me in concern, frowning a little. I stuff my hands into my back pockets, "No. I just..." I trail off. _Ugh!_ Why is this so hard for me?!

"You just...?"

I snort a bit, smiling and looking down at the floor before my gaze falls back on him. "Earlier today, when you stood up for me and helped me with my Clara situation, I just..." I sigh in agitation, ignoring his bashful smile and the small blush tinting on his cheeks, "I'm not so good on saying 'thank you'." I say.

He chuckles, "It's okay. You're welcome. And you know I'd do _anything_ for you. Although, I am a _little_ upset you didn't tell us the truth from the start." he says to me, folding his arms. I shrug, "I should've, but I just wasn't ready."

"It's okay. I get it." he says sincerely to me, smiling. I smile back. We stay like for...who knows how long, until I break it, "Okay, you know what, let's make a deal." I say with resolve. He raises an eyebrow but his smile never fades, just like mine. "What _kind_ of deal?"

"Let's promise each other that we won't keep secrets. And we have to tell each other _first_ before we tell _anyone else._ " I explain. His brows raise, and he nods, "Deal."

"Wanna pinky promise?" I suggest, holding out my pinkie. He grinned as he held out his hand...but then blinked at it in surprise, "Uh...I-I don't really _have_ a pinky." he says, wiggling his smallest finger as he smiled bashfully with a blush. I ignore his obvious embarrassment, "Then _that's_ your pinky, Hero Boy." I say, wiggling mine, while he stares at it with his mouth in an 'o' shape. I wiggle it in front of him again, "Well don't leave me hanging."

Finally, he smiles broadly at me, wrapping his 'pinky' with mine. We make a tight grip on our fingers, his a little more careful since it's bigger, and I hold back a little since mine is a lot stronger thanks to my super strength.

It's very _...soft..._

* * *

 **There you guys go! Sorry this took so long. I promise to update more. And if any of you have any romance suggestions, that'd be great! Loves and kisses, bye!**


	13. It Came From The Depths

**I am SO sorry this came out late! I was busy with a lot of things, including Spidey and the Avengers! I really am sorry! So much! I hope this makes up for it! Enjoy! And I appreciate the review, JB007! Now, because of my busy schedule, updates will be a little slow. Right now, you're probably wondering why this is so short. Well, since I hate to keep you waiting, I'll be updating whenever I can and you guys can keep popping by until I can give you the full story.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ya ready, Gwenie?" Raphael quipped as he quickly gained into a defensive stance. He gave the blonde girl a cocky and arrogant smirk, as if he already knew who was going to win the fight.

Gwen scoffed, her hands planted onto her hips. "Yeah, whatever, Raphie Boy." she began to stretch her slender legs, "I think we both know who's gonna win this." her lake water eyes narrowed playfully at the mutant boy. Raph stretched his knuckles, he and his somewhat secret crush engaging in a tense stare down.

It was quiet in the dojo. Anyone could hear a pin drop. A dark green mutant turtle with a red bandana stared intensely at a girl with his bright emeralds. Internally, Raph admired her beauty, taking it all in. He took in her pale complexion, her glistening lake water eyes filled with unrivalled determination, and her bright blonde curly hair. God, she was beautiful. She held a rosy pink twinge in her soft cheeks.

After a few, long moments, they engaged in battle. He went in for a punch, which she expertly dodged. She swiped a quick kick at his legs. Raph fell flat on his shell, groaning. He saw knuckles coming in for his face. He quickly rolled away, rolling back on his heels.

Gaining the momentum, he snatched her wrist and went it for an arm breaking position. With a twist of her waist, she slipped onto his back, her long, slender legs wrapped around his waist. Raph blushed at the contact but quickly diminished it.

He fell purposely backwards, Gwen's back breaking his fall. Gwen grimaced at the slight ache in her back, but she knocked her head towards the back of his head, making him yelp. She lifted her leg and kicked him off of her. With a short scream, he landed flat faced on the ground, a metallic taste invading his taste buds.

He felt the added weight come onto his shell. He felt Gwen's delicate and soft fingers curl around his bicep, a startled laugh emitting from his throat. She smirked in amusement as she lifted his arm. She began to mercilessly twist it at an odd angle, Raph yelping.

With a smirk and raised brow, she punched the matted floors with her free fist, mentally counting to three.

Just to mock him, she counted out loud.

"1. 2. _3_!"

With a angelic laugh of victory, she yanked his arm off her, and hopped off. Raph groaned for a few moments, before muttering a, "Congratulations."

Her laugh was music to his ears. He smiled dryly as she yanked him with her surprising strength. She flashed a sweet smile, "Good game. Raph." her voice was strong and sincere at the same time. He smiled back, jerking the blood from his mouth, "You too."

With an innocent grin, she walked over to the large tree, grabbing her duffel bag, fishing for her water bottle. "Well, I better run, Hot Head." she said as she walked away.

He studied how her outfit fitted her amazing curves, drinking it all in. She turned her blonde head at him, grinning from ear to ear, "Text me."

And with that, she disappeared out of his sight.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

"Who wants to try my latest creation?"

We turn our heads to see Mikey holding something behind his back with a bright smile. I roll my eyes, not taking my eyes off my phone, "Try it out yourself, Mikey. Whatever it is, which I honestly don't care," a swat on the head by Raph. I start, startled, and grit my teeth and glare at the numbskull, fire literally building up in my eyes. He glares back full force with a low growl.

Lion Boy elbows him in the gut, a disapproving frown forming on his lips. My eyes narrow into angry slits as my hands lights on fire a little bit. Raph and I glare deathly at each other for a few moments, Mikey's clearing of his throat breaking the awkward tension.

Raph and I stay like that for a few seconds, before he slowly turns his head away from me, now facing Mikey. I huff through my nose, glaring back at my phone while I poke at it violently. This is _really_ starting to get through my nerves.

Mikey seemed to have shrug off the awkward and tense tension, as he wouldn't shut up about some milkshake and pizza. Apparently, he decided to mix in pizza and milkshake was a good idea. One word: _Blegh!_

I glance every once in a while, wrinkling my nose in disgust when the idiot chugs it down, throws it up, and chugs it down again. Did I mention it was disgusting? I mean, a pizza shake? That's just disgusting. The other boys just groan at their little brother in utter and pure disgust.

I tune out the rest of their conversation, poking into my contacts. Let's see, I have Clara, Gwen, Nicole, William, the unsaved number from a few weeks ago -

Wait. Unsaved number?

I hum in confusion quietly, eyebrows shooting up to my hairline in surprise, lower lip pouting a little. Unsaved number? Would it be the one I got on that text message from a few weeks ago? I glance discreetly at the others, careful for them not to catch me. After a few seconds of making sure they're not snooping (especially Raph), I rise off my seat, going in stealth mode to disappear into my room.

I quietly close the door behind me, closing it with a _'click'._ I plop myself into my bed, call the number, holding the phone close to my ear. It rings a few times, finally answering on the fourth ring. A sharp, british accent answers with an unkind, "Hello?"

I take a breath, "You called?" my voice automatically turns it's sharp, cold tone, the type that shows no mercy. The voice on the other side seems to be taken aback, as he or she doesn't answer for a few seconds. "Uh, y-yes. Yes. I did." the voice seems to be clearer, kinda sounding like a woman's voice. I smirk deviously to myself. Good. She knows I could be a potential threat.

I make my voice sound impatient, "Well? What do ya want?!" I laugh mentally as the voice stutters for a few seconds, before she (I'm assuming) composes herself. "My boss sent you a message two weeks ago. Correct?" I answer a quick, "Yes." nodding along. I can the voice is smiling in sick satisfaction, "Good. She would like for you to be there in a few short hours. She specifically instructed to me to give you the directions and she needs to know if you have any questions before I can go any further. Do you have any questions?"

I raise an eyebrow, biting my lower lip in thought. "Just one. What _exactly_ does she want me to do?" my voice is menacing and harsh.

* * *

The guys switch on their flashlights while I light my whole head on fire. "I will _never_ get used to that." I hear Donnie mutter in slight awe and fascination. I smirk to myself. "Neither will I." I say with a chuckle. We walk inside of tunnel 281. An excited shiver runs up my spine. Man, do I miss the dark and ominous feeling.

I don't even feel like I need my head on fire. I'm just so used to these types of rooms. I don't I can ever trip or stumble in rooms like these anymore. Leo crouches down, his fingers lightly brushing the giant footprints. His eyes widen with an awestruck look, "Whoa. Check this out." his eyes slide over to us, "What the heck made these footprints?"

I shrug helplessly. "Don't know, don't care." I mutter under my breath. We all stroll down the tunnel a little further -

 ** _ROAR!_**

Lion Boy flinches back violently, his arms stretched out in front of us. A barely audible gasp emits from their throats. My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline, eyes widening slightly. We hear another roar and see a soft light magenta glow and a big shadow radiate off the walls. We run towards the noise and duck.

We spot a what seems to be a mutant alligator bashing in a bunch of Kraang droids. I squint my eyes to get a better look. And I notice his eyes are white and rage filled and he seems to have a few scars drawn into him. Huh. I wonder what happened.

The guys watch, awestruck, while I watch with an emotionless mask. One of the droids fly over towards us, and before I can react, someone takes my arm and pulls me towards them. I blink in surprise and tear my gaze to see Lion Boy. A ghost of a smile grace my lips, "Thanks."

He shrugs sheepishly, "No problem."

The Kraang alien leaps out of it's droid, scuttling away in fear. I raise an eyebrow. Donnie glances at me and Leo, "I never thought I'd feel sorry for the Kraang." he comments with a wary frown. I smirk, shrugging a shoulder, "I never thought they would run away squeaking from a mutant alligator." I glance at him for a second, "Y'know...considering they had to deal with us."

We watch the fight a little more. I sigh and pull out my phone, poking at a few apps. I start playing some game while I strain my ears to hear the fight. So far, there's growling, electricity crackling, a lot of grunting, another roar, and way more grunting. Then I hear some crash onto the ground with a grunt. "Tell Kraang in what place can be found the power cell that Kraang wishes to find the place of." a droid demands.

My head shoots up, and my brows furrow as I see the alligator lay face down on the ground, his snout wrinkling in pain. He has a few brunt marks and his mouth seems to be filled with a little blood. My face softens just a tad. Ugh, I know exactly how he feels right now. I had that feeling back when Shredder tortured me after he electroshocked me...

 _"NEVER!"_

The droids continue to electrocute him and he starts to roar and writhe in pain. I wince, subconsciously rubbing the sudden ache in my forehead. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Leo glancing at me with a curious and concerned expression.

Mikey turns around, pulling at Raph's arm, "Come on, we gotta help him." he says. I look at him and look back the tortured alligator. The guys frown at him, but I keep my eyes glued on the mutant alligator. "I think 'gotta' is a strong word." I hear Raph say. Lion Boy pipes up, "Mikey, we don't know anything about that guy. He could be way more dangerous than the Kraang." his tone is patient, but firm also.

I can tell Mikey's glaring at them, "That gator dude needs our help. I can't wait around for you cowards." he goes quiet for a second, "Jewel, you'll help me, right?" I tore my gaze off the alligator, staring into Mikey's pleading sky blue orbs, my own dark blue orbs staring right back at him. I purse my lips, brows furrowed again, glancing at the gator for a spilt second.

I unsheathe my Tanto sword out of my high knee black boot, nodding once. He smiles gratefully and we turn to go help. "Do you know what you're getting into?" I hear Donnie ask behind us. I pause in my stride, taking a sideways glance, my face dark, "I knew what I was getting myself into when I joined the Foot Clan."

And without another peep, I run towards a Kraang droid. Mikey jubilantly shouts, _"Booyakasha!"_

* * *

"Well, what do you want to do? Take him back to the lair?"

Mikey pouts, pupils wide and twinkling, and a soft whimpering emits from his quivering lips. Lion Boy falters, "Oh, no." he crosses his arms tightly against his plastron. I smile amusedly at him, huffing a silent giggle. "Oh, no. Did - Did you see what he did to those Kraang droids? We are _not_ bringing that monster home with us!"

I frown a little, glancing at the unconscious gator, "He's not a monster! He's a giant, Kraang-crushing, mutant alligator monster!" I blink and raise a brow at Mikey, who falters under our stares. He smiles sheepishly, "I said monster, didn't I?"

"Yep."

"Sure did."

"I heard it."

Mikey glares defensively, curling his arms tighter around the injured gator, "Well, you know what I meant!"

"I thought you meant 'monster'."

"Me too."

"Yep."

"You DID say that, so..."

Mikey stands up, hands planted firmly on his hips, " _Fine._ I'll bring him back myself." he glares and pulls the gator forward, grunting with effort. The alligator barely budges, but his face was slightly pinched. After a moment, "Um, Donnie, you don't happen to have a forklift, do you?" Donnie glances over to me with a knowing look in his rusty brown eyes, but I keep my gaze fixated on the gator.

"No? Okay." Mikey continues to pull, no luck. I hear Lion Boy sigh, he, D, and Raph going over to help. They take his tail, Mikey taking an arm, and start pulling him out of the tunnel, grunting a whole lot. They pause, and turn their eyes to me. Mikey looks awkwardly between me and the gator's arm, "Um, Jewel," he tugs the arm a little, "Could you..." he trails off, jerking his head to the gator.

I fold my arms, raising an eyebrow, my eyes sliding over to the other three, who beg me with their eyes. I sigh, exasperated, and with a roll of my eyes, I walk over and tuck my hands under the alligator, gently, though. A click of my tongue, and I lift him over my head, not a whole lot of effort. Thank you, super strength.

They all mutter a "Thank you." and I roll my eyes. I see Lion Boy and I tug at his arm, glaring, "You owe me." He blinks and smiles bashfully, shrugging helplessly with a quick nod of his head. I send him a questioning look, and he doesn't even squirm under my intense stare. Huh. Weird.

* * *

"That's because he's out cold."

I narrow my eyes and stomp on Raph's foot mercilessly. And I slap Lion Boy, but it doesn't seem to faze him all that much. He squawks in pain, squeezing his stupid foot tenderly. He glares and I stick my tongue at him, striding down onto the couch. I hear a beep from my phone and tap it. It's a text from Gwen. She sends me a picture of a luchador holding a newborn puppy.

A grin stretches my lips from ear to ear. I text something funny and she texts back. I hear a rattling noise and look up to see D holding a bundle of chains in his arms. I raise a brow. " _Whoa!_ What are those for?!" Mikey shouts, glaring.

"We can't keep him here unless he's chained to something really big." Donnie answer, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Mikey's glares deepens, "That is so wrong!" his gaze softens, smiling at the unconscious mutant, "He's not gonna hurt us." he snuggles his cheek into the gator, "We're the ones who saved him."

My eyes widen; the alligator's eyes open, flashing a dangerous shade of white. Mikey doesn't seem to notice, as the alligator growls softly, "See? He's perfectly calm." he whispers tenderly. I take a step back, tugging Leo's arm, "Uh, Lion -"

"I bet the first thing he's gonna do is thank -"

 _"WATCH OUT!"_

 ** _ROAR!_**

The alligator towers over us, ripping the teddy bear in half, stuffing pulling over the floor. My muscles tense and I scan over the gator. "Or maybe the second thing." Mikey squeaks. My expression is painted deadpanned, "Yeah. No kidding."

The alligator roars and yanks Donnie's head, who squeaks in shock. He starts swinging him around like a rag doll. It takes every inch of my willpower to not burst into a hysterics of giggles. D's arms flail around crazily, _"Get him off me! Get him off me!"_ he yells in hysteria. I bite my lip really to keep myself from laughing at him.

Mikey swings his nunchucks, "I'll help you, Donnie!" the chains swing around his midsection. Mikey tugs at the chains, Donnie's neck stretching as his body is relentlessly tugged back, "Not like that! Not like _that!_ " That's it. I can't hold it in anymore. This is just too funny. A wide smile stretches over my face, and first, they're just restrained giggles, but gradually, I curl into a ball and laugh my head off.

I smell smoke and I think my face lights up on fire (literally) but I ignore it. Tears soak through my eyes and I ignore all of my surroundings. Distinctly, I hear a loud roar and electricity and a thump. My temples throb in agonizing pain. It felt like hot, sharp knives digging into my head, twisting and turning until my brain sizzled and was ready to burst.

A memory, quick a lightning, flashed through my head under all the pain.

* * *

 _12-year-old Jewel King sat alone on a rooftop in Japan. Her entire body was littered in scratches, dark, purple bruises decorated her skin, her mouth an ocean of crimson. Jewel's back was hunched, eyes downcast, and she held an object, staring at it with tear filled royal blue orbs._

 _She had just escaped a gruesome battle with the Shredder. She didn't take it too well at receiving some type of electrocution to the head; her temples hurt like nothing else in the world. And it was only three hours. The pain grew worse, but that was physical._

 _Anyway, she escaped. But it didn't feel like she won. She kept her eyes solely on the shattered phone, berating herself. It was just a phone. It was her father's. Shredder snuck up behind her and shattered both the phone and her palm. With a quick shot of the her gun, she slid away._

 _She sat on a dark, abandoned building, just staring at the phone with a solemn look. It was the last thing she had of her father. She couldn't go home; Shredder burnt it into a crisp, and she was just lucky he didn't what she looked like under the mask. She still had modeling, but it didn't help with her mood._

 _She knew it was stupid. It was an old phone. And it didn't even work. All it did was turn on, revealing her dad's picture she stared into every night. Besides, she left the last few pictures of him in her dressing room. But...why did it hurt so much?_

 _She just sat there, unmoving, merely staring as the phone gave it's last spark. She heard rain scatter violently all over the streets and building. She was soaked and shivering. But she didn't pay attention. She didn't even know why she was upset. It was really stupid. And she was really messed up in the head._

 _The phone was dead, just like her mom and dad, and her gymnastics career. Her breath hitched, and her voice cracked with a sob. She glared at the phone with wobbly lips, crushing them with her bare hands. She gave the phone one last glare before throwing it across the building._

 _She heard those weird voices creep into her again, and she felt anger mix in with her already strangled emotions. And she didn't even know why she was mad!_

 _And she laughed. It was scratchy, strangled, a laugh that held sorrow, not even an ounce of happiness, it wasn't her laugh. She looked at her wrist, noticing the bracelet her father had given her the week he died, and immediately wanted to throw up. It was just a pink bracelet that pink, flower charm that said 'princess'._

 _She tore the bracelet off her wrist and threw it across the building. She couldn't look at it anymore. She just couldn't look at it. It was too painful. It reminded of everything she had before she lost it. And she continued laughing._

 _It sounded hysteric to her, to anyone, really. But it didn't matter anymore. She had snapped. She was having a mental breakdown. She knew she was, but didn't care anymore. She didn't even bother trying to fight the voice; she let it consume her. She didn't want to care anymore. There was no one to stay sane for._

 _And she laughed. She laughed and laughed. Tears soaked through her eyelids, streaming down her battered cheeks, mixing in with the rain. Her laughter grew into harsh, violent sobs. And she sobbed. She sobbed and sobbed. She clutched her bare wrist to her chest, eyes squeezed in anguish._

 _Her cries turned into hitched breathing and sniffs. And she breathed deeply after, falling into a dreamless sleep. Her last thoughts echoing off in waves._

 _'It's okay to be crazy. There's no one for me to stay sane for anymore...'_

* * *

I don't remember passing out. I don't remember anything else other than laughing. My eyes felt like rocks when I forced them to flutter open. My vision was blurry but settled into a figure - wait, figures?

My vision clears to see Clara, Mikey, and Sensei gaze at me with concerned eyes. I blink a few times. What happened?

"You passed out." Mikey said. I raised an eyebrow. I said that out loud, didn't I? "Yeah. Ya did." Clara answered. Dang it. I sit up, stretching my back with a yawn. Splinter places a clawed hand on my shoulder, eyes twinkling in concern, "Are you alright, Julia?" his voice was gentle and understanding, with a hint of curios.

I blinked, lips pursed, and I feebly nodded. Why'd I passed out? "We're not sure. You just...passed out." Mikey said. Ugh, I gotta stop doing that.

Splinter squeezes my shoulder for another minute, before walking out of the room and into the dojo. I rub my face and feel light traces of tear streaks on my cheeks. I hear a shuffling sound behind me. I turn my head to see the mutant alligator. He had a silver pot in his hands and his eyes screamed concerned but he sent me a small, friendly smile.

Timidly, he waves at me. I raise my eyebrows and wave back. I turn my head to Mikey and Clara, jabbing a thumb behind me. Clara seems to pick up on my silent question, "Oh, well I came here a few minutes ago because Mikey sent me a text that you passed out. And when I saw Leatherhead," I raise an eyebrow. Who? Mikey's chest puffs up, a smile stretching, "I named him Leatherhead."

I roll my eyes, albeit affectionately, and motion for Clara to keep going. "Leatherhead is an old friend of mine. I met him a while ago. He saved me a while back." I nod. Mikey keeps looking at me with some type of sorrow look in his eyes, and I sigh, "Okay. Why are you looking at me like that?"

He flinches, and answers, "You, um, you laughed." he said with a timid frown. I nod again, "Yes, Mikey. I did laugh. And could you blame me?" I said with a light chuckle. To my immense surprise, his frown deepened and he shook his head, "No. I mean you laughed. And then you started bawling your eyes out. Then you passed out." he answered with a wince.

Clara and I blinked in surprise. I did? "Wait. What do you mean she bawled her eyes out?" she glanced at me for a second, "You mean as in like, crying? Sobbing? That sort of thing?" He nodded, his eyes sparkling in concern. I tear my gaze back to Leatherhead, who smiles genuinely at me.

I walk over to him, sitting down. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, a soft smile gracing my lips, "Hey." I hold out my hand in front of him, "I'm Julia. But you can call me Jewel."

He wearily shakes my hand, his grip purposely gentle, "Nice to meet you, Julia." he says with a smile, but then he frowns, "Are you sure you are okay?" he asks me gently. I smile, shrugging a shoulder, "I think I should be the one asking you that, buddy. Are you okay?" I answer. Honestly, no. I don't really want to talk about it. I didn't want Leatherhead, Clara, and Mikey to know what I went through all those years ago.

He nodded, "I am alright. Thank you for your concern. Michelangelo and Clara are very lucky to have you as a friend." he compliments. I smile bashfully, waving a hand, "I know. Thank goodness they have me. What would they do with their lives if I wasn't in it?"

"Hey!" Clara and Mikey yell in unison, and I laugh while Leatherhead shakes his head amusedly. After a few minutes, I see the others swimming out of the pool of water, Donnie holding some strange container in his arms. Maybe it's that power cell the Kraang were talking about?

Mikey walks up to them while Clara and I chat with Leatherhead. "Hey, guys. Leatherhead is totally off the chain." I slap my forehead while Clara silently groans.

Stupidest. Boy. _Ever._

* * *

I frown at Leatherhead in sympathy. He attacked all of us earlier when D showed him the power cell, getting him all berserk again. He ran off with it and Clara and Mikey talked me into going with them. Leatherhead was telling us that he has to be alone because of his condition.

I walk up to him, brushing delicate fingers on his snout. I hold both sides of his face with my hands, lifting his gaze to meet mine. I smiled sweetly and gently at him, my royal blue orbs sparkling in understanding, "I know you think you're a monster and a danger to us." I keep my voice gentle and firm at the same time, barely above a whisper. "But you choose who you have to be. I know the feeling, LH. I know what it's like to feel trapped inside your own head. I've had that for years. But you don't have to let it control you. You have a choice."

He looks dumbstruck for a moment, but his lips quirk into a grateful smile. Suddenly, the door slides open behind us, and I turn around to see Lion Boy, Donnie, and Raph with their weapons poised. Clara glares at them and jerks out her whip, attaining a defensive stance.

"Get away from Mikey and Julie, or we'll turn you into the world's ugliest suitcase!" Raph warns, the tip of his sai threateningly poised at Leatherhead. I huff through my nose, glaring at the stupid brat. Clara grunts at him, hand fixated on her hip, "Uh, what about me?" she asks, her other hand gripping tightly on the handle of the handle on the whip.

Raph just glares at her, barely acknowledging her presence. My jaw tightens, knuckles paying on the grip of my small sword. Leatherhead looks at them with begging eyes, "Please! I mean them no harm. It was the Kraang that made me this way." he explains helplessly. I nod, biting my lower lip, "I was raised by a kind human boy. Until his parents discovered me and dumped me in the sewer. The Kraang found me and took me to their dimension. They mutated me and subjected me to horrible experiments. But they could not break my spirit. Six months ago, I escaped through the portal that they used to travel to Earth, and I stole this."

He pulls out the power cell for us to see it. Donnie studies it with a scientific glint in his eyes. "What did they use it for?" he asked. Clara and i glance at each other, "It powers the portal. Without it, no Kraang can enter or leave this dimension." LH answers. Clara smiles up at him, slapping a hand over his shoulder. "And you're doing a great job, buddy." she says. Leatherhead smiles at her in affection, "You are a good friend, Clara. Thank you for never running away."

"Never."

Abruptly, we start to hear robotic footsteps approaching. Leatherhead clutches the cell protectively, "I swore to keep it from them and spare this world from their evil. Even at the cost of my own life." I smile lifelessly at him. I don't think I could ever do that.

There's a metallic 'swoosh' and an explosion from outside. "Give Kraang the power cell that Kraang has come to demand you give to Kraang." a Kraang droid demands. Clara and i groan, "Ugh! Speak English, already, would ya?" we both say in unison with an annoyed roll of our eyes. We pause and look at each other for a few seconds, before bursting in a fit of giggles.

"It's the Kraang!" Mikey yells. I roll my eyes, "Uh, duh. Who else?" I say like he should already know. And he really should. "Quick! Barricade the doors!" Lion Boy demands, muscles tense and hands inching for his katanas. Raph and Mikey barricade the doors while the rest of us circle protectively circle around Leatherhead.

A few droids come through, knocking us out of the way. Clara and i fight off one, her whip slapping one alien. It leaves a big, purple streak on it's face. It screeches in pain and hops out of the droid body. Clara gawks at the sight, "Okay, _ew!_ That's disgusting!"

I shrug, "Ya get used to it."

I run over to help Raph shut the door, using my super strength. There's still loud banging and we all desperately figure out a way to escape. It's silent for a few moments, Mikey sighing in relief before he screams at a sword poking through the doors. A bunch of them pop out and a few of discarded robot hands come to life.

I backflip away from one and melt it with fire shooting out of my palm. Clara stares in astonishment, "Okay, you gotta show me how you do that." I smirk coyly at her, "Later."

"We're surrounded!"

"We'll never hold them off."

"We gotta get out of here."

"Gee, thanks for pointing out the obvious guys!"

Lion Boy shrugs helplessly at me, "Donnie, can you get this subway car running?" he asks Donnie. Donnie glances at him, holding off a few Kraang hands, "This track is dead. There's no electricity." he answers in slight hysteria. "What about the power cell? Can you use that?" Lion Boy asks in slight desperation.

D taps his chin in deep thought for a second, eyes calculated and narrowed, "I might be able to hook it up to the motor. But I'll need time." he quickly explains. Out of the corner of my eye, LH stands up, eyes narrowed in determination. "I will buy you time." he walks up to Mikey and Clara, a hand landing on their shoulders, "My friends, you have trusted me. And now, I am trusting you. I will deal with the Kraang." he delicately places the power cell in Mikey's hands. He walks up to the door before he pauses, eyes locked on mine, and a smile graced his snout, "And Julia. Thank you for understanding what I am going through. I will not forget what you told me. But remember, you too have a choice."

Before I can say anything else, he growls at the door and fights off a bunch of Kraang. Mikey hands D the cell, "Donnie, we're running out of time." Leo says, blocking the door. Donnie fidgets with the wires, "I'm working as fast as I can!" I roll my eyes and bite back a chuckle. No need to pass out again. "Donnie!" Raph yells, pushed back but goes to block the door again, "Will you hurry up -!"

 _"I got it!"_

I hear a sound, and Clara and the rest of us are jerked backwards, the car going at the same speed rate I go. Clara and the boys scream, while I just fold my arms and roll my eyes in annoyance. Ugh, relax, people. It's not that bad.

* * *

Lion Boy and I sit in the dojo, sparring. "Hey, Jewel, can I ask you something?" he asks me. He takes a seat under the tree and pats a spot next to me. I smirk, "You just did." I say. I plop myself right next to him. A light pink tints his cheek, and he rubs the back of his neck, "Is that a yes?"

I smile in amusement, "Shoot."

He nods, but his smile drops, "Are you okay?" he asks in a gentle tone. His frown is the type that's worried and his ocean blue orbs lock on mine. I raise an eyebrow, "Why?" I ask, my voice weary and curious. He just stares at me for a moment. "Earlier, when you passed out, you - you laughed kinda," his eyes narrow, as if he's searching for the right word, "Weird." he settles on, "And then you started to cry. A lot, actually. It just seemed like," he shrugged a shoulder, "I don't know. Like maybe you were upset about something."

I nod, biting my lip, "It's nothing."

"Didn't sound like nothing." he disagrees. I sigh after a few minutes, "Promise not to tell the others?" I ask quietly, but I'm not sure if he heard it. "Of course." his tone matches mine, and he rubs his hand on my shoulder lightly.

I take a deep breath, "Okay. It's stupid, really. But when I laughed, it just, I dunno, reminded me of what happened after I escaped from Shredder." his hand tensed but he nodded along, "He just -" a sigh, "He just crushed my dad's old phone. And I don't why I was upset about it, it was just a phone, but I guess I was upset. I ran off to some abandoned building and sulked there."

I take another breath, but he seems to be patient with me, "I threw the phone away and started laughing. But it wasn't one of those happy ones. And I saw an old bracelet my dad gave me and I just couldn't look at it. It was just too painful. And then I threw that away. And I kept on laughing until I cried, and then, I fell asleep."

I sigh as, "That was the night I lost my mind, I guess. And I kept hearing that voice, but I didn't care anymore. I was okay with it. I mean, there's no one to stay sane for anymore. I have no one left. Not even any friends." I finish. And I tore my gaze to Leo's. He frowns sympathetically and his ocean blue orbs are twinkling in pity. I internally groan. Ugh. I was afraid of this happening. I didn't need this pity. I was okay with it. Really.

I look down at my lap, unable to look at him anymore. A soft, scaly hands covers mine and I look up at Leo. A warm smile stretches his lips, and his eyes twinkle with mine, "Well, I'm your friend." his tone is pure and sweet. A grin spreads from my lips, stretching ear to ear, and I feel butterflies in my stomach. Dark blue orbs stare into one another, and he leans in. I feel myself lean in for some reason.

My eyes felt like heavyweights, and my lips puckers up. What's happening?

A second later, there's a loud crash, followed by a yell. _"CLARA!"_

 _"GET BACK HERE!"_

Leo and I jerk away from each other. That sounded like Gwen and Raph. I stare at Leo, his face beet red. The back of my neck heats up, and I groan. "I should probably help Clara. With...whatever she did."

Lion Boy just nods, "Y-Yeah." he answers, albeit shakily. I nod and send a small smile his way, "Uh, let's get back to training later."

Without waiting for a response, I super speed away.

* * *

 **I AM SO SO SO SORRY! I promise to not do this again! I'll update next week! Bye! Please R &R!**


	14. I, Monster

**Hey, guys! Sorry if updates are a little slow. Don't exactly earn enough time. But I can promise you I'll have more time in summer! I'll be free a whole lot of the time! So, yay! You guys have no idea how excited I am to type up the next episode after this one. I REALLY wish I could just be lazy and type random stuff. But that wouldn't make me much of an author, would it? *giggles* Anyway, please enjoy this chapter. There's probably gonna be A LOT of flashbacks. Eh...probably not...**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Walking down the wide, narrow hallway was a girl. She had coffee brown skin, dark, royal blue shimmering eyes, and her hair was an ocean of black. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail with a black headband adorned on top. She wore a white shirt, a black vest with a golden wolf symbol threaded into it, and she wore a black skirt with black boots stopping at her knees.

Her steps were angry and full of purpose. Her eyes were dull, slightly bored, and she held a black and pink leopard print bag strapped to her shoulder. A few notebooks were carried in the crook of her elbow. Her boots made a smooth clacking sound as she walked through fellow students, ignoring a few shouts as she bumped through shoulders.

She stalked inside her class, slipping into her seat as she set her bag down behind her chair. She slammed her books down with a tired sigh, one hand cupping her cheek as she tilted her head to the side. Her teacher acknowledged her with a stiff nod, resuming writing up advanced formulas on the chalkboard. A few girls in the class regarded her with curious eyes and faces full of enthusiasm.

One girl whispered, "Hey, does that girl look _familiar_ to you?" her response came a second later, "Yeah. I think I've seen her in some _Vogue_ magazine." another girl whispered, "She used to be this hot-shot gymnast. But for some reason, she quit." The girl rolled her eyes. Ugh. She forgot how _annoying_ high school girls were.

"What's her name again?"

"I don't know. I've only watched her on T.V."

"Hey, do you guys really think she's a lunatic? I've heard a few rumors from other models in the magazines."

"I don't know, maybe. She doesn't _look_ like a lunatic."

" _Aww._ She's prettier than me."

"Ugh, Amanda, don't be such a priss. Of course she's prettier than you. She's a model."

"I heard she's an orphan."

" _Aww._ Really? That's so sad."

"Seriously, guys. What's her name? I know it starts with a _'J'._ "

"Jasmine?"

"No, no. I think it's something else. Janet?"

"Nah. Too ugly. Jeanette? Jenny?"

"No. I don't think so."

The girl rolled her eyes, exasperated. She turned her head to the group of girls and sent an annoyed glare. They chattered quietly and whispered like a bunch of hyperactive squirrels. The girl rolled her eyes, her lower lip dipped, keeping her patience in check. "It's Jewel, you morons. Jewel King. And would it be so kind of you to _shut up!_ " the girl - _Jewel_ \- hissed.

The girls whispering jumped at her sharp and unkind voice. Her dark blue eyes bored into them. It was like looking at someone you wanted to murder. A cold, unforgiving shiver ran down their spine under her intense stare. They blinked rapidly at her, clamping their mouths shut. Slowly, after a quick check-up they wouldn't pee themselves, they turned back to their seats, pretending to write something down or chewing on their bottom lip.

Jewel nodded once, tapping a finger on her desk while idly chewing on her pen. She doodled on a piece of paper. She drew a few trees, sketching in every line, bark, and smooth detail of the loose green leaf. Her pen decided to doodle another object, sketching in the rough and fluffy details of a German Shepard.

A shoulder tapped her shoulder, and without looking up, a ghost of a smile stretched her lips. "Hi, Gwen." she muttered, eyes glued to the dog and tree doodle. She could practically hear the eye roll the blonde girl sent her. Gwen nudged her shoulder, "Hey, Miss Grumpy Pants." she teased.

"Technically Miss Grumpy Skirt."

Another eye roll, "Okay, fine. Hey, Miss Grumpy Skirt. There. Happy now?"

"I'm not _un_ happy."

A flick to the head. "Aren't you always happy? Or maybe you're always cranky?" Gwen shook her with a smile, "I swear. You have way more mood swings than a dog." she chuckled. Jewel huffed a silent chuckle, finally tearing her eyes to meet Gwen's lake water one's, a smile full of tease painting her red-pink lips, "I'm confused. Aren't _you_ the one with the cranky mood swings?"

Gwen flicked a pencil at the fellow model's head, which she dodged with a chuckle. Gwen's soft pink lips pouted, but her smile was still ingrained in her face, eyes narrowed playfully. "Jerk."

Jewel snorted, chewing at the end of her pen, "Isn't that my job?"

"I thought your job was supposed to be the big, bad, rebellious girl."

"Eh." Jewel smirked at her friend, "What's the difference?"

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

First things first: school sucks. The teachers are ridiculously optimistic, the food looks like it came from some fancy, rich restaurant. And the work is way too easy for me. Why did Gwen and I had to be forced into the stupid smart classes? Just _why?_

Eh. Could be worse, I guess. I know it doesn't sound like a horrible school. I just don't like my high school. It's an all-girl private school. A place for the snot-nosed rich girl. The snooty high school. The gossip high scho - okay. Ya get the gist.

The only reason I'm in that stupid school was because of both Splinter and William. William was starting to get a little curious since he hasn't heard about me going to school. And for some, stupid reason, he tried to call my _'foster dad'_ had not Gwen given him Splinter's number from when he was a human. And now...I'm back in school. _Yay..._

Splinter stood in front of the tree, back turned to us. His hands were calmly clasped behind his back, one hand grasping his forearm. We knelt a few feet from him, one knee on the ground. We glanced at Sensei every now and then, as if we're trying to figure out whether or not he could hear us. Y'know, considering we're about to attack him and all.

Leo turns his head to us. His ocean blue eyes were a storm of focused determination. "Okay, here's the plan," he starts in a hushed whisper. Eyes are turned onto Donnie's rusty brown ones, "Donnie, you're gonna strike first." Donnie's weary frown deepens, eyes basically full of fright, "No, wait. You want _me,_ to come at _Splinter?_ " he gestures a hand to his plastron, "I'll get pummeled!" he complains, voice high-pitched and whiny.

Raph's mouth curves upwards in a cocky smirk, "Well...getting pummeled _is_ your specialty." I swear I can see a vein bulging from Donnie's head, giving Raph an offended glare. Lion Boy smiles slightly, "Trust me. It's all part of my plan to catch Splinter off-guard." he reassures - mainly Donnie - us. Mikey frowns at him while I raise an eyebrow.

"Uh, Leo. Don't take this the wrong way, but against Splinter, your plans always get our butts whipped."

"Okay, new thought. Mikey: _You_ attack."

"He took it the wrong way."

"In his defense, you _did_ say his plans were pretty flawed."

"Enough talk! Let's do this."

We crowded around Sensei. His ear twitched, and he turned around as we treaded around him cautiously. His eyes were calmly closed. One side of his face shined against the dim light from the grater above us. The room was thick with tension. The only thing you could hear was our rheumatic breathing.

My eyes were narrowed, focused. I breathed in and out. My eyes skimmed around Splinter's furry body, searching for any weak spots. I strained my ears. Sensei's breathing was even, his broad shoulders were relaxed, and I could hear the _'thump thump'_ of his heartbeat. My fingers twitched with anticipation. I rolled my shoulders as I silently glided around Sensei. He spread his arms out, one foot forward, twisting it slightly.

Finally, Mikey made his move. He ran towards Sensei, twisting his body to side, both legs stretched out, ready to aim at Splinter's head. His eyes opened, ear twitching ever so slightly. He took Mikey's foot and threw him onto the ground. Mikey grunted in both surprise and pain, Sensei kicking him to the other side of the dojo.

Raph, Donnie, and Leo ran forward. Raph leapt from the air with a fist raised. Raph went in for a punch, Sensei dodging it with trained ease. He ducked a kick from Donnie, twisting his body away. He narrowly blocked a fluid kick from Lion Boy, twisting back to Don and Raph. Donnie raised his leg. He blocked a punch from Raph. He twisted Donnie's leg, spinning his whole body sideways.

He pinched D's plastron, knocking him and Raph over to the corners. Finally, I made _my_ move.

I smirked. I sped towards his right with soundless steps, muscles taut. Sensei's ears twitched and he flipped over my head with ease. I twisted a heel and faced him head-on. My face was a void of any emotions, since I wore both the top and bottom half of my black mask. He seemed to be sizing me up for a quick second, my royal blue eyes the only visible spot.

I pulled a fist back, using his calculating gaze as a distraction. I went in for a quick punch, Sensei stretching to the side with a silent grunt. He grabbed my fist and spun me around, but I knew better. I used my free hand to pull his off. Thanks to my super strength, I pulled away and back flipped away. Then, I charged without so much of a warning. My strikes were unyielding and swift, since I was way faster and stronger than him, but unfortunately, he was more _skilled._

Sensei used this as an advantage. With a hard kick to the stomach, he sent me rolling to the tree. My back hit against the tree trunk hard and I held my midsection, groaning in pain. "C-Cheap shot." I sneezed, curling in pain. _Ouch._

With me down, Sensei swiped a punch at Lion Boy. He rolled over his shell and with a grunt, he striked the side of Splinter's face, taking him by surprise.

Lion Boy froze on the spot, ocean blue eyes flying wide open as Sensei's cheek faced him. "Ah!" he cried, drawing a hesitant arm toward Sensei a little. I guess he didn't expect to get a hit on Sensei. "S-Sensei, I'm sorry!" he stammered in fright, "I -"

From the side-lines, I shakily got up to my feet, pretty winded from the harsh blow. I gaped at Lion Boy. Did he actually...strike...at _Sensei?_ Well...either it was that, or I was still _really_ dizzy from the hit or maybe it was my imagination. Eh. Could be either.

With blinding speed, I swore I saw a slight smirk, he grasped Leo's arm and flipped onto the ground, his right fist raised to strike at the poor turtle. All our eyes widened. "Oh, no. Leo's a goner." Donnie breathed. A smile pulled from Mikey's lips, arms raised excitedly, "Oh, nodie dodie!"

Wide eyed, I blink rapidly. Uh oh. "Hoo boy." I breathed, "Lion Boy's _definitely_ in a lot of trouble, now." After a long moment, Splinter released Leo's arm, folding his hands behind his back as he regarded the stricken turtle. "Well done, Leonardo." he complimented, "But just when you had the advantage, you hesitated, and that made you vulnerable." he said.

With maximum effort ( _Ha!_ Pun!), Leo rose up from his spot, holding a hand to his torso. "Hai...Sensei." he grunted, the wind probably knocked right out of him. I strode over to Leo's left to stand beside him, giving him a small nudge with an elbow. He looked down at me, pouting with a light pink shade to his cheeks. He must've known the sly grin painted on my lips with the glint in my eyes; since my whole face was covered except for my eyes.

Splinter turned to look at me, "And as for _you,_ " he started, "I can see how you used your newfound abilities to your advantage, as it will help you in future battles, but you must remember. You cannot _always_ rely on them. As your opponents will use whatever they have to their advantage. And you must be ready for _anything._ "

I shrugged uncaringly, folding my arms against my chest. Out of the corner of my eye, Lion Boy smirked arrogantly, snickering under his breath. I pouted (hidden under the mask), and with my elbow, I violently nudged it but he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

Splinter eyes glided over us, a ghost of a tolerant smile pulling at his snout. "Now, that is all for today." he announced as he turned towards his room. Splinter paused as he looked over his shoulder, "...unless you care for a rematch?" he probed.

Expectantly, the boys shook their heads.

"No, thanks."

"I'm good."

"Yeah, I think we're all set here."

"Maybe next time."

And with that, he slid the door shut, leaving all of us alone. Quick as lightning, the others run to us, child-like enthusiasm glinting in their eyes.

"Leo!"

"Not bad."

"Dude, I can't believe you actually tagged _Sensei._ That was _epic!_ "

"And Jewel, I can't believe you actually lasted more than a _minute_ with him."

"Yeah, where did that come from? And the mask made it even cooler!"

"Totally gave you kick-butt look."

Mikey stretched his arm out, grasping Lion Boy's hand in awe, "The hand that punched Splinter!" he said, grinning, "You know you can _never_ wash this again." I scrunched up my nose in disgust. Okay, _ew._ I hear a silent _'beep'_ from my phone. I take it out and read the message.

 _Free Period is almost over. You better get over here really quick. Hurry!_

I groan. Ugh. I _almost_ forgot about that. Hurriedly, I yank off the bottom half of my mask, sliding off the top next. With a quick wave goodbye, I super speed over to school, changing into my uniform.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

"Who can tell me what 'x' equals in this formula? Anyone?" Ms. Flora asked, pointing her stick on the board, whipping her head to every one of the female students. She hummed when no one raised a hand, merely blinking at the aged woman with dull expressions.

Ms. Flora frowned, clicking her tongue in disappointment, muttering darkly under her breath, "Ugh. _Worthless_ kids." she skimmed over the class for anyone exceptionally intelligent enough to answer the problem. Finally, her eyes landed on one. A smile pulled from her chapped lips, pointing at her top student, "Julia. What does 'x' equals?"

Jewel snapped her head up, glancing away from her sketch. Her eyes scanned the problem, her brain calculating the solution in a split second. She looked back down at her sketchbook, "12.4" she answered, voice ringing with boredom. Her teacher beamed at her, "Correct!" she scribbled the answer onto the board, looking over her shoulder with a glare.

"Perhaps some of you can learn from Julia's example. Instead of wasting your so-called potential." her voice was sharp and harsh, as if she didn't care if it dettered the students one bit. All girls (except Gwen and Jewel), squirmed uncomfortably, a few glaring at the mercenary.

Ms. Flora set her stick down, her chalk pen forgotten on her desk. She clapped her hands together with an exhausted sigh, "I'll be back in a moment. For the remainder of class, I want you all to complete the worksheet I assigned you. Any problems unfinished will result in homework." she glanced at her watch, "You may work with a partner if you'd like. No more than two people."

Her heels clicked as she walked away, shutting the door softly behind her.

Immediately, all girls shuffled out their worksheets and chatted among themselves as they worked on their geometry work. A girl with curly blonde hair falling past her shoulders slightly tapped Jewel's shoulder. Jewel looked up and grinned. "Sup, Gwen."

The girl - _Gwen_ \- smiled, waving her paper. "Finished. You?" she asked. It was true both girls were in all the advanced classes. Jewel's I.Q. was incredibly high while Gwen just knew her way around numbers mostly. The raven haired girl rolled her eyes with a tolerant grin, "Isn't it obvious? Given how I'm the top student at this school."

Gwen chuckled, shaking her head, "Don't remind me. Every girl at this school envies you because of it." she quirked a brow thoughtfully, "That, and the fact that you're the top model and a professional gymnast." she added. Jewel shrugged a shoulder, "Eh. Least I'm not the only one, _Number Two._ " a sly grin pulled at her lips, eyes twinkling in mischief.

Gwen half-heartedly slapped the girl's head, wrinkling her nose and her brows furrowing together, but the playful sparkle in her lake water eyes inferred she was only teasing. " _Pssh._ Whateves. At least I'm still at the top when it comes to boxing."

Jewel huffed a through her nose, smirking, "That was only once. And need I remind you, last time, I had a sprained ankle." Gwen's smile was slapped off her face, her eyes snapping wide open as she frowned at her friend, face pinched in concern. "You were injured? Why didn't you tell me?" her voice rang with concern and confusion.

The female mercenary shrugged, "'Cause I didn't talk about it. And it was just an accident. You know how Raph gets during sparring." it was half true. During her sparring with the red clad turtle, he managed to trip her and stomp on her foot by accident. Although, thinking back, as how unapologetic he seemed, it probably was on purpose.

At the mention of the turtles' name, Gwen glared down at her notebook, like she had a personal grudge against it, and muttered a, "Ugh. _Raph._ " Jewel raised a brow curiously at the blonde, "Uh. I'm confused. I thought you liked Raph?" she asked her friend, who was still glaring at her notebook.

Gwen's face softened just a tad, "I didn't exactly like him. I just thought he was interesting for a ninja turtle," she snorted, but then her glare returned full force. "But?" Jewel motioned for her to continue. Gwen glanced at her for a second, "But the knuckle-head sorta mouthed on too much. Y'know, the usual. Insulting you every chance he gets. Clara, too. But for that part I don't care too much. But still."

Her friend nodded, returning to her sketch. She doodled a 3-D whirlwind when she heard a shrill shriek. "Oh my gosh, what is _that?!_ "

Gwen, Jewel, and all the other girls whirled their heads around to the clear and vacant widow. They sprang to their feet and walked towards the clear glass. Gwen's eyes widened, Jewel managing to keep a calm facade with a raised eyebrow instead, while everyone screamed at the top of their lungs.

 _"Attention, all students,"_ head director called over the P.A. system, _"Please gather all of your things and quickly run home. This is not a drill. I repeat: This is_ not _a drill."_

Without a second thought, every girl in the class made haste and grabbed all of their supplies, sprinting out of the class and towards the exit of the school. Rapid stomping filled the whole school with screaming students fleeing the scene, dodging all of the rats crawling around.

After a few moments of rampaging and screaming, all there was left was the two fifteen year old freshmen and models staying behind, gaping at the sight of the swarm of rats. _"Whoa."_ Gwen breathed out quietly, brows furrowed. Jewel pursed her lips, her T-Phone ringing, barely startling Gwen.

Without taking her eyes over the rat infested city, she answered it.

She was met with a, _"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"_

She bit her lip, "Uh, no. School just ended seconds ago. I'm guessing it has to do with the whole rat thing. Care to explain?" she answered, skimming the street. Leo carefully explained, _"We're not sure what's going on. We're only a few buildings away. You can find us with the GPS. Hurry!"_ the line went dead.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

I tapped on the phone and tapped on the GPS coordinates. "What is it?" I hear Gwen mumble. I glance at her, "They don't know what's going on. I'm trying to track their coordinates on the GPS." I answer, grabbing my things. After stuffing my stuff into my duffel bag, I look at Gwen over my shoulder, "You should get home." I look away uncomfortably, "Y'know...get to safety. Or something like that." _Geesh._ No wonder I'm a mercenary. I would be a _terrible_ hero.

Gwen just gawked at me, brows raised. She shook her head, "I'm coming with you." she said, as like it was the most obvious thing in the world. My response is immediate, "No way. If I learned anything hanging out with the guys, is that it's too dangerous to get caught up in all this. Plus, Shredder's after me and Splinter. Most likely he'll find us out in the open."

I know this sounds surprising coming from me. But Gwen's my best friend. Plus, Raph would try to kill me. Hence the word _try._ I'm not stupid. Gwen narrowed her eyes at me, "Look, I'm tired of you side-lining me every time something dangerous happens." she huffs, "Look, I know how to handle pests - _like rats._ You know my dad was an exterminator. I can help you, Jewel. But only if you _let_ me."

I pout my lip in thought, my gaze tearing off her. I hummed as I thought about it. She has a good point. And she _knows_ how to fight. She did beat Raph in a sparring match before. Well...why not? I squared my shoulders, firmly nodding once, looking her square in the eyes, "Alright. But stay close to us, and try not to get killed."

Gwen smirked, crossing her arms, "Julie, you know I'm not gonna die anytime soon. I'll live until I'm eighty." her voice was light and nonchalant. I smirked back and sighed. Eh. I'm fairly certain she'll die until she's one hundred. It takes _a lot_ to bring Gwen down.

* * *

"Uh, you didn't mention anything about having to rescue April, guys!" I snapped, the base of my palms stinging slightly as I gripped the pole. Leo smiled up at me, "You know, you kinda have a cute sparkle in your eyes when you get mad."

My eyes blinked wide open, eyebrows raised to my hairline as I looked down at him in amusement and curiosity, "What?" I asked dumbly. At that, Leo blinked, and an immediate blush rushed to his cheeks. He stuttered while Gwen held in her laughter. I swore I saw a smirk grace Donnie's lips.

Gwen plants her feet to the side of the pole, eyes narrowed in concentration. She took a deep breath, brows furrowed as she closed her eyes. Without warning, she flipped forward and swung an arm around the pole again, landing next to me a little.

The others and I stared at her in awe, mouths agape. I clamped my mouth shut, a smile pulling at my lips, "That was awesome." I told her, briefly petting a rat. She shrugged, a cocky smirk painting her smug expression, "You're not the only gymnast star."

I roll my eyes affectionately and climb higher. But, before I could, it started to shake and I almost lost my balance. I gripped the pole tighter, palms stinging as the wood tauntingly stabbed them with an unforgivable force, just like this _stupid,_ tilting pole!

Gwen fished something at the back of her pocket. She held up what looked like to be some type of perfume; it was pretty and glassy, adorned with a few white and bright yellow roses. The liquid inside it appeared to be yellow, kind of like the shade of mustard. I raised a curious brow, "What is that? Perfume?"

To my surprise, Gwen shook her head. "It's a solvent."

"For?"

"Rats. It's a mixture of what exterminators use for killing rats and melted cheese. But I modified it so it can only tire them out. So, when I spray it at them," she gestured the bottle with her free hand, quickly balancing herself again, "They'll only fall asleep. It's," she tilted her head in thought, "...It's like a safe poison for them."

I smirk at her, impressed, "Not bad. Cool, actually." She beamed at me, smiling, "You and Donnie aren't the only geniuses 'round here."

After a few minutes, with a few screams, the pole breaks and we all clumsily jump on a nearby rooftop. I grab onto Lion Boy's arm and immediately let go of it, not blushing at all. And ignoring Gwen's smirk of amusement. "Chew on that, rat finks!" he exclaims. He looks over his shoulder with an expectant smile. The others stare blankly at him, unimpressed. He frowns, turning his head back, "Oh, come on. That sounded cool." he whines.

I cover a wide smile under my mouth, restraining a giggle, "That...was stupid. Adorable. But stupid." I say, ignoring a playful nudge in the arm by Gwen, not pouting or trying to hide a light blush. _Not at all._

* * *

Gwen, April, and I blink at Splinter, who's asleep on a futon in the lair. Gwen tilts her head at him, "Is he okay?" April asked worriedly, frowning. Out of instinct, I turn my head to look at Lion Boy, "Yeah. What happened to him?"

He merely shrugged, "I'm not really sure." Raph narrowed his eyes, glaring at the invisible force hurting Splinter, "Donnie, you're the smart one. What do we do?" he grits out urgently. Donnie's frown deepens, shrugging, "M-Maybe we should poke him?" he suggests, rusty brown eyes an ocean of uncertainty.

Gwen and I raise our eyebrows, glancing at each other for a second. Clearly, we're both thinking the same thing. _Really?_ That's the _best_ he's got? Poke him? Seriously? I turn my head to look at Gwen, _'Poke him?'_ I mouth with an unimpressed eyebrow. She scrunches her nose a bit and shrugs helplessly.

"Good idea. Mikey. _You_ poke him."

"No way! I'm not poking him. _You_ poke him!"

"Okay, let's put it to a vote."

We all stare at him with a 'done' look in our eyes, "Mikey." we all say dully in unison. He frowns, "I want a recount."

Donnie walks up to him, handing him his staff. Mikey stares at it for a second for sighing in defeat. "Fine." he groans, walking up to Sensei. As he holds it in a death grip, it shakes ever so slightly. Mikey's eyes swim with fear and sweat runs down his brow. "Easy, easy. Careful not to squeeze the -"

 ** _SHLING!_**

 ** _"AAAAHHHH!"_** they all scream while Gwen squeaks and covers her mouth, me flinching slightly bit regaining my composure less than a second. The guys and April all stagger back, Mikey twiddling with the staff in the air, clumsily dropping it with a _'clang'._

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

Raph falls onto his back with a groan. Ugh. It was official. Mikey _is_ an idiot. To his surprise, a small, pale hand was held out in front of him, and he blinked stupidly at it. _"Huh?"_ he muttered. His gaze traveled to the hand, the dark purple outfit, and then to the figure's face.

A girl. She was a _very_ pretty girl. She had fair skin complimented with invisible freckles (if anyone really paid attention), light blonde hair that fell past her shoulders by a mere one or two inches; including bangs brushing her forehead. Two, blue eyes (decorated with a few green speckles) stared down at him with amusement...and slight worry.

Gwen tilted her head at him, hand still outstretched, "You okay?" she asked, nonchalant but he could've sworn he heard a hint of worry in her sweet, angelic voice. He stared dumbly up at his crush, opening and clamping his mouth shut.

Finally, he managed to break himself out of his stupor, "Uh, yeah." he said shakily, a little winded from the fall and slight fright, "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." his voice was stronger this time as she pulled him up with her soft, delicate fingers. For someone with a petite hand, she sure held on a strong grip. "No problem." she replied with a sweet smile adorning her lips.

Both calmly walked up to the rest of the group, visibly annoyed with a certain orange clad turtle. Donnie tiredly glared at the young turtle, twirling the stick to the other end, "Okay." he handed it to Mikey, "Let's try it from the _other_ end." he spat, pushing Mikey towards Splinter.

Unbeknownst to the turtles, mercenary/kunoichi, and two humans, a storm brewed in Splinter's head. Splinter fell down to his knees, panting with every breath, his lungs begging for air. A dark clad figure - the Rat King - stood in front of Splinter. He had his hands clasped behind his back, a wicked smirk stretched his brittle and chapped lips.

"We have evolved beyond humanity." his voice echoed, "We have no need for them, but we can help each other." he smiled wider, "Join me. And you shall hide below the surface _no more._ " he persuaded. Splinter took a shaky breath, "No." he whispered, voice weak and pained. He swiped at Rat King, who misted into a cloud of black smoke.

Splinter fell down to his knees once again, ears folded back. He calmly closed his eyes, taking in calming breaths. His heart beat was a storm. He saw it all over again. He could smell the burning wood all over again. He sweated from extersion, his heart beating wildly. He could see pure and unadulterated rage in Saki's eyes as he swiped his weapons at him.

He remembered as he knocked down into the hard, wooden floors. Smoke watered his eyes, bruises and scrapes decorating his pale skin. He feebly lifted his head up, preparing for his untimely death as his former brother went in for the final strike...

It all happened so _fast_. He remembered a body blocking him, he remembered as she begged them to stop. He remembered as Saki yelled, eyes widening. He remembered the blood spewing out from her body, the deep slashes decorating her chest. He remembered yelling, holding her unmoving body close to him. He remembered the burning tears dripping onto her. He remembered a baby's cry. A cry for her father...

* * *

"When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind." Splinter closed his eyes for a second, holding the portrait close, "You will find his lair in a an abandoned utility junction beneath Herald Square." he finished.

Raph smiled brightly, pumping his fists, "Let's go play exterminator!" Gwen giggled behind her mouth, holding out her solvent, "And I got the equipment." she said, grinning from ear to ear. Splinter closed his eyes painfully, his family portrait falling onto the floor, clutching his forehead in pain.

He groaned as he fell to his knees. Leo and April rushed to his aid, Jewel taking a step, hesitating as she unconsciously rubbing a finger to her temple, a dull, too familiar ache settling in. " _Fight_ him, Sensei." Leo softly whispered, frowning worriedly. "I will. Just hurry." April soothingly ushered him to lay down, "It's okay, guys. You go after the Rat King. I'll stay with Sensei." Thank goodness for April.

Jewel looked over Leonardo's shoulder, getting a clear look at the picture. She saw a man, a woman, and baby bundled into the woman's arms. Splinter's family.

 _Family._

She had to restrain a flinch. It's been...nearly 5 years since she had a family. She didn't know her mother, her grandparents were dead, one alive but missing, and _her father..._

The young mercenary didn't have anybody left. Ever since she left the Foot Clan she had to rely on her modeling and mercenary career for financial reasons. Gwen, Clara, and William didn't count because they didn't know what was going on. William couldn't know for obvious reasons. Gwen couldn't understand, neither could Clara.

And the turtles were a pretty obvious answer. They probably wanted her out, even she did consider them as brothers or whatever. Raph practically hated her guts, Donnie was now weary of her, Mikey was probably frightened by her, Splinter always kept a close eye on her, and Leo...

 _Leo..._

In fact, what _did_ Leo think of her? Jewel wasn't exactly sure where she stood with the blue-clad turtle. It was too hard to tell with him. For some, _very_ odd reason, his friendship mattered most to her. And she felt... _lighter_ with him. Like she could be herself around him. She felt like she was the same, rebellious, bad girl she was back in Japan. Like she had never been electro-shocked. She felt like herself again.

The thought of Leo brought a smile and blush blooming on her face. She'd giggle over any of his stupid jokes, or just how 'high and mighty' he would try to be, even when he recited Captain Ryan's lines. Leo seemed like the stoic and all serious leader of the team, but...he was also a dork. A very cute dork. He was just...adorable. And she just...she just enjoyed his company.

But the thought also made her frown. At first, she thought she actually had a _crush_ on Leo. But she quickly diminished the thought away. _No._ She _didn't_ like Leo. He was like a brother. But there was always that naggy feeling she couldn't make go away.

 _The Voice._

'The Voice' wasn't exactly gone. It was still there. Silent, but there. For the first year, she couldn't ignore it. But after awhile...it just...she _could_ ignore it. It wasn't as loud or booming anymore. And she always ignored it, she stopped listening. But when it came to a certain 'Lion Boy' it would get louder and it wouldn't shut up. And it was getting harder to ignore it all over again. And she didn't know why -

 _'Because you like him!'_

 _Ugh!_ Why won't it shut up?! Why did it keep insisting that for her?! Jewel didn't like Leonardo! She didn't! Okay, so maybe she didn't see him as a brother like with the others, but that didn't mean she had _feelings_ for him! She didn't have feelings for _anyone!_ Or...or did she...?

In fact, _did_ she really like Leo? Sure, he was nice, sweet, and gentle...but did she want _more?_ Did she want more than just a nice chat and a Space Heroes marathon? Did she...did she actually want a _relationship_ with him?

Her temples throbbed with fierce intensity again. She bit back a groan, gingerly rubbing her left one in circles, like she always did whenever it happened again. Ugh, this was stupid. Jewel didn't have time for this. She had to help Splinter. Even if he or the others didn't want her help. She would help them no matter what. She owed it to them, just like April.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

 _"SENSEI!"_ the guys all scream jubilantly, hugging Master Splinter like he was their life line. He gladly melts into the embrace, a warm smile quirking upwards. I stand beside them, folding my arms over my chest with a genuine smirk plastered on my lips, a small glint of jealousy sparking in my chest. Gwen seems to notice it and places a hand on my shoulder with sympathetic smile stretching her lips.

Sensei lifts his head up to look at Falco (Rat King. Mikey's right. Pretty lame name. _Ahaha, that rhymed!_ ), only to find an ocean of rats sliding him away. I huff, glaring at his retreated form. Ugh, what a coward.

The guys and Splinter break away from the hug, Mikey wiggling his fingers like a magician would do when he's showing off his trick, "And that's the we'll see of..." he pauses for dramatic effect, " _...Count Ratula!_ " he turns around, beaming from ear to ear. We all give him a flat expression, subtly shaking our head, while Splinter watches him with an amused smile.

I raise a bored eyebrow, "Really? Count _Ratula_? That's the _best_ you could come up with?" I probe sarcastically, a flat and deadpan twinkle gleaming in my eyes. He shrugs helplessly, visibly wincing, sighing in defeat, "Yeah. All right. It's Rat King." he glares determinedly, pointing his index finger at us, "...But I'm naming the next one!"

I roll my eyes, forcing myself not to smirk, "Yeah. Okay. Whatever you say, Michelangelo." I scoff with a shrewd smirk. Gwen snickers and nudges my arm with a elbow, muttering, "Good one." I shrug, grinning innocently, "I try."

Splinter and the turtles embrace in another hug, Gwen and I watching. A lump suddenly forms in my throat, choking me. And my stomach pangs with longing and slight jealousy. I know they're not exactly my family or anything, since none of us are in the best terms or whatever, but...I _miss_ it. I miss having a family. A family to hug. Even if it was just me and my dad. But sometimes...I just wish I had a mom to...love and stuff...

And I know I'll never have that again. But I can't help it. I just don't know why it still hurts so badly. Like someone stabbed me with a stake or something, twisting the wound and sprinkling salt all over it. I just...ugh, I want the feeling to go away. I'm sick of feeling lonely and sad. I...all I want is for this feeling to stop.

But...that will never happen...will it?

* * *

"It's great to have you back, Sensei." Lion Boy groans, wheezing. Splinter turns his head halfway, chuckling quietly. Raph, D, Mikey, and I watch him in amusement. I walk over to his upside-down form, raising a playful brow with an amused and teasing smirk.

He blinks out of his daze, wincing. After blinking more, I wave a hand in front of his face, "Lion Boy, you still with me?" I ask, frowning curiously (and not worriedly. Absolutely not.). He blinks again, his grimace gradually settling into a confused frown. "Y-Yeah." he answered shakily, rubbing one side of his face as his dragged it down, "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks."

I hold out a hand, which he gingerly accepts. With minimal effort (Super strength, _hellooo!_ ), I pull him up to his feet, holding a careful arm as he sways slightly. He squeezes his eyes shut, snapping them open. He smiles anxiously, rubbing a sheepish hand behind his neck, "Heh. Heh. Ummm...just out of curiosity...how _much_ did you see?" he asks with a slight wince.

I share a glance with the others, who smirk and shrug, turning my gaze back to Lion Boy, smirking mischievously, "Oh, not much." I dismiss with a shrug, clasping my arms behind my back with an innocent grin, " _Juuust_ the part where Splinter threw you into the wall. That sort of thing." I finish with a shrewd smirk, mischief dancing in my cobalt orbs.

Leo flushes slightly, giggling embarrassedly, cheeks heating up a little, "Great. Now I'm embarrassed." he jokes with an embarrassed grin. I giggle slightly, covering my mouth, "Don't be. We all got our butts handed to him." I assure jokingly, beaming.

Leo's embarrassed smile slowly settles into a genuine grin. I grin from ear to ear, eyes twinkling, apples of my cheeks heating up a little. I tuck a loose stray of hair away from my ponytail, still grinning. Something blossoms beneath my chest, my skin tingling with... _giddiness?_

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

Raphael knelt onto the edge of the rooftop, poised like a gargoyle. His eyes were bright as the moon, shell illuminating. Cars honked and drove by, platters of steps could be heard from a distance. The red-clad turtle could hear every bell ringing from opening and closing doors. His electric, emerald eyes slid over to every pedestrian.

A few held sacks of groceries, businessmen and women chattering as they munched on their pastries. And a couple hand-in-hand as they smiled wistfully at each other, oblivious to the world around them.

He frowned at them, averting his gaze elsewhere; particularly at a certain sports shop. A ghost of a smile graced his lips, taking in a deep, calming breath as he waited patiently. He shuffled his feet a bit more comfortably, licking his dry lips. He sighed in content; he loved the soothing chill of the wind, caressing his scaly, slightly bruised skin. After a moment or so, the glass doors softly flung open, spitting out a few customers, but his gaze fell on one in particular.

It was a girl. A girl with a slender body, strong yet delicate build, and broad shoulders. Her hair was a bright and curly blonde, accented with a dark headband. She had pale skin, cheeks glowing with a rosy tint, lips a sweet pink, and if he squinted hard enough, freckles decorated her nose. She had the biggest, bluest eyes anyone could spot a mile away, complimented with lilies decorating them. Her bangs flung back as the wind rushed past her. She held a duffel bag strapped to her shoulder, a neutral look painted her soft features.

To anyone else, she seemed like a normal schoolgirl, but to him, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. He watched as her legs took her across the street, into his direction, her mint green coat swishing back. She strolled onto the sidewalk, her pond-water orbs sparkling against the moonlight. Raph watched her with a bright, wide smile plastered across his face.

Abruptly, she paused. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully with a curious frown. Had she sensed someone watching her? Okay. Now he was feeling like a stalker. He shifted uncomfortably, lips set in a tight line. After a minute or so, her gaze traveled up to the lone figure up on the rooftop. They locked eyes, her bright hair illuminating off the dim moonlight.

She smiled sweetly up at him, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She turned her head left and right, looking over her shoulder, before grinning up at him again. And to his utter surprise, she waved at him all friendly-like, beaming brightly, eyes shining brighter than the sun. He blinked rapidly, taken aback. Did she...did Gwen really just... _waved_ at him?

Raph wasn't stupid. He knew he or his brothers stood a chance with finding love or whatever. They all knew it by now. But...ever since they met April and Jewel...things changed. It was like a window of multiple opportunities. And when Raph had laid eyes on Gwen...he was _breath taken_. She was beautiful, the 'girl next door' type. But she was also fiercely competitive; like him.

Gwen looked like any other pretty face. But she was so much _more_. Underneath her sleeves, she had _defined_ muscles. He remembered her telling him that she always wanted to be a boxer when she was a little older. And he loved that. She was stubborn as an ox, short-tempered, and unlike Jewel and Clara, she had honor, and incredibly intelligent. She was... _amazing_.

He could see it in her eyes since the day he met her. At first, he was just infatuated of her beauty, but out of nowhere...she actually _impressed_ him. Gwen Brooks had impressed Raphael with that roundhouse kick, and the way she talked about martial arts. It was _incredible_.

But lately, she... _changed_. Slightly, but still, she changed. She was colder and snippy with him. Gwen never texted him anymore. She wouldn't pick up the phone, and she tended to glare hotly at him from time to time. Granted, it could've been his fault, insulting and berating Jewel every chance he got. And Jewel and Gwen were practically best friends, and Gwen was loyal to those she cared about. Which only made him like her more!

 _What a woman._

Breaking out of his stupor, he waved back awkwardly, smiling shakily. She giggled quietly behind her hand. Sending one last smile his way, she walked off, drowning in the large herd of New Yorkers. He smiled cheekily at her retreating form, despite his confusion (did Gwen like him or hated him?!). He barely registered another form kneeling down next to him, wearing a cocky smirk on their lips.

"Hey, Hot-Head." Clara greeted, smug and all. The red-clad turtle merely hummed a greeting, emeralds glued to Gwen's retreated form. Light blue orbs to Raph's gaze on the sidewalk. The female thief quirked a curious brow, pouting her bottom lip, "What are you looking at?" she asked with innocent curiosity.

Raph shrugged, "Nothing." he lied, a love-struck smile gluing his snout. Clara narrowed her eyes skeptically at the young turtle. Oh, it was _something_ , all right. And Clara could bet a hundred bucks it had something to do with a specific blonde girl.

Turning her head away from him, she spotted a familiar curly-haired blonde, curls bouncing as she strolled away, a few pedestrians blocking her view of the girl. From this angle nobody would be able to tell it was the one and only Gwen Brooks, but Clara knew. Clara instantly recognized the mint green coat she occasionally wore during the night in New York.

She scowled, turning her head back to Raphael, who was still beaming like an idiot. Something churned inside her stomach, boiling her insides. Her eyes lit up something akin to anger, taking one last look at the sidewalk. Expertly, she slid back into the night, like a raven flying back into its' nest, not a single trace of her.

* * *

 **I am SO sorry this came out late! I had this halfway done 2 weeks ago but time got away from me. I promise to update as fast as I can. Just be a little more patient. But now...it's SUMMER! WHOO-HOO! And you know what that means...I can update faster now! No more waiting for over a month. I'll update and post the new chapter in 2 weeks or maybe a little earlier, so be ready! And as always...please R &R! I LOVE hearing about your opinions.**

 **-BPP OUT! Bye!**


	15. New Girl In Town

**A/N: I'm SO happy I finally got this done! And pretty early too! But that's only because I was waiting FOR AGES to get up to this episode! I ALREADY planned a bunch of scenes BEFORE I got to the THIRD episode! Which is why I got this done pretty early. So, without further ado, I give you New Girl In Town!**

 **Before I forget, we have 2 VERY SPECIAL OC's guest starring in this chapter. *smirks* Can you guess who? And also: THESE OC's ARE NOT MINE! I repeat: they are NOT my characters! They're a very good friend of mine. And I'll tell you who at the end. Some of you reviewed on her story and are good friend's of hers. *winks***

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Run, Jewel._

 _Don't be an idiot. Run!_

 _Run. Run. Run._ ** _Run!_**

 _'Just keep running, Jewel.'_ the kunoichi thought to herself. That was all she could think of. To _run_! To keep running as fast as she could, no matter the cost. To keep chasing after the giant weed monster without so much of a second thought. And Jewel wouldn't stop running until they caught Snakeweed. She wanted to stop. She really did. But she couldn't. She _wouldn't_. The turtles needed her help. And she owed it to them. Whether they liked it or not.

Sure, she could use her super speed to catch up with plant. But Leo had advised against it so they could keep up with her in case an emergency would occur. So, she was stuck with her regular speed. It didn't really bother her very much. As a kunoichi, she was _already_ fast _before_ she discovered her powers, which she _still_ doesn't know _how_ or _when_ she got them...

A shrill howling resounded throughout the entire block and into the nighttime air to the point where she was surprised no one had seemed to hear it to come out of their apartment complex. Well...that was New York for you...

The mutant weed monster rounded an alley towards a fortune cookie factory, Raphael and Leonardo following. Jewel stood poised on a rooftop beside Michelangelo and Donatello, one foot firmly planted onto the edge, a calculating and intimidating glare shining through her eyes, face hidden underneath her mask.

Mikey and Donnie leapt off their perch, Jewel following their example, the boys landing with a grunt, the girl landing soundlessly on her feet, poised in a low crouch. Snakeweed skidded to a stop at the sight of them, almost surrounded, turning on his heel, running away from them. They regrouped as they chased after the screeching plant monster, eyes narrowed.

As if their luck couldn't get any worse, a pizza delivery boy was riding in his motorbike, humming a tune to himself. Unfortunately for the boy...Snakeweed was heading towards him. With a low, rumbling growl, one of his 'vines' snatched the poor boy, his eyes popping out of their sockets with a "Whoa!".

 _"No!"_ Mikey yelled, a frown tugging downwards from his lips, "Not the _pizza guy_! Take _Donnie_!" he yelled over dramatically. Beside him, having to listen that dramatic outburst, Jewel's normally stoic face was now replaced with a look as flat as a wooden board, turning her head to face him, never pausing at her rapid pace. _"Really?"_ she droned, voice as flat as her expression, "You're worried about some _delivery guy_ just 'cause he brings the pizza. Yep. Sure sounds like you."

Donnie glared at him, a little miffed about Mikey's outburst, "Snakeweed's getting away!"

Snakeweed rounded a corner in an alleyway, pizza boy screaming for help. Leo skidded to a stop, them following, with a raised fist that signed 'stop'. He turned halfway, "We've got him trapped."

Raph smirked wildly, bloodthirsty for battle, wielding out his Sais, facing them upside down, "Good. Then let's go weed whacking!"

Donnie twirled out his Bo staff, grinning, "Tree trimming!"

 _"Gardening!"_

They blinked, turning their heads to look at him, Jewel folding her arms over her chest with an unimpressed brow, eyes blank. Mikey beamed, punching the invisible air in front of him, " _Boom! Ha ha!_ Oh yeah. Mikey put the sprinkles _on that sundae!_ " he yelled with a jubilant grin.

The female mercenary rolled her eyes skyward, "Oh _god_ , you're an idiot." she whined lowly. Raph sighed lowly, dipping his head down in impatience, walking towards the alley, "Let's go!"

A three fingered hand was planted firmly on his broad shoulder, putting a stop to his stride. Leo looked at him with concentrated, narrowed eyes, "Hang on, Raph. We're not charging a 12 ft _regenerating_ mutant."

"Then what _are_ we doing?!"

Leo pointed a finger above a rooftop, not bothering to scold his brother, "We'll take Snakeweed from above. Tie him up in the clotheslines. Come on." the blue clad turtle ordered, climbing up the building, Raph and the others glued in place. "That'll take _forever_." Raph began to complain just as his older brother neared the edge, pausing, "...and we have to stop Snakeweed _now_! I mean, he's _kidnapping_ people." the shorter turtle rebuked.

"Not just people. People who bring _pizza_!" Mikey whined. Jewel rolled her eyes, restraining the urge to punch the little twerp flat in the face, "Oh my god Mikey, just _forget about the stupid pizza guy_!" she spat, incredibly irked. Mikey itched closer to Raph, shrinking a bit.

Leo huffed through his nose, his patience waning. He clenched his teeth, "We take him from above. Let's move!"

The four turtles and kunoichi leapt onto the rooftop with silent ease, gracefully skidding to the edge. Leo faced them, knees bent ever so slightly, eyes narrowed and concentrated, "On my count." he whispered. He unsheathed his katanas with a _'shling!'_ , "One. Two..."

They looked down at the alley, finding nothing but a dark and concrete ground and a nearby staircase.. Leo blinked in surprise, frowning confusedly, "Where'd he...?" he muttered. Jewel winced, hidden by the mask. Raph's emeralds slid to Leo as he glared fiercely. "And the award for _worst_ leader goes to -"

"How am _I_ the worst leader?"

Raph fully turned to face his older brother, glaring at him hotly, "If we did this _my_ way - Snakeweed would be _toast_ by now." he spat, eyes piercing with anger and disappointment. Mikey shook his head, grimacing, " _Ugh._ That'd be some _nasty_ toast." he groaned. Jewel wrinkled her nose, arms folded over her chest. Donnie's red brown orbs looked left and right at the two arguing brothers wearily. Calmly, he gently dragged Mikey by the shoulders away from, Jewel taking a step back.

They knew what was about to happen. Another fight. It was best if they stayed silent and out of harm's way. The two turtles and Jewel watched on awkwardly. The argument was intense. A lot more intense than the others. And Jewel gripped the hilt of her tanto sword tightly, just in case.

Leo and Raph faced each other head on, glaring hotly at one another. "This way _would've_ worked if you hadn't wasted time second guessing _my_ orders." Leo spat, cobalt orbs ablaze. Raph's eyes narrowed into angry slits, his temper sparking. "Don't give _bad_ orders, and I won't second guess 'em!" he spat back.

Jewel looked back and forth at them with a frown, arching a cautious brow. She bit her lip, debating whether or not she should intervene.

"You know what, Raph? If you think you could do better, why don't _you_ lead?" Leonardo was getting tired of this. It was too frustrating and his head started to pound. Too angry and exhausted to keep up this argument.

"First: good idea you've had _all day_!" Maybe Raphael could gain more respect this way if _he_ were leader. Shouldn't be too hard. Leo does it - _did_ it, so it _should_ be easy. He'd be fine. And he could be a way better leader than _Lameonardo_. He knew Donnie and Mikey would blindly obey to his every command, but Jewel could be a problem. But he would just sideline her. Maybe even ask Gwen to fill in her spot.

The two brothers growled like hungry wolves at each other, like one of them was about to attack...waiting for the right moment...

Jewel blinked in mild surprise, eyes widening slightly. _Seriously?!_ Raph... _leader?!_ No. No. _No!_ She was _not_ going to follow him! Raph doesn't even know the _first_ thing about being leader! He might as well lead a bunch of _monkeys_...and they were _smarter_ than him! Heck, even _she_ could do it, and she had a bunch _psychological_ problems!

"...We'll compromise... _I'll_ lead."

Jewel had to suppress a laugh.

Leo and Raph growled, eyes ablaze with murderous anger, piercing through Mikey's sweet baby blues. He shrunk under their intense stares, nervously smiling, curling back to Donnie and Jewel.

The girl snorted, awkwardly patting a hand on his shoulder, "...Worth a shot." she said, teasingly smirking as he shrugged.

Leonardo huffed; it was now or never. "Fine, Raph. The team is yours." he turned away, sharing a glance with Jewel. Time seemed to slow down. He stared at her with an apologetic frown, her's a mystery with the mask, even with her beautiful royal blue orbs. He shrugged one shoulder helplessly. "I'm out of here." he said, looking away from her, walking away from her and his brothers.

Mikey frowned, hands planted on both sides of his face, "I can't believe he's gone..." Donnie planted a comforting hand on the younger turtles' shoulder, "Aw, don't worry, Mikey. Leo, uh, he just needs some space." he attempted to soothe. Mikey turned around, face flat as board, staring back at the purple clad and lankier turtle. Donnie's face dropped, eyes flat and tired. "...You meant the _pizza guy_ , didn't you?" he droned.

"...Yeah..."

Jewel's arms were folded tightly, nearly suffocating her, but she didn't care as she stood beside them, staring back a certain red clad turtles' shell. And her eyes narrowed.

Ignorant of a certain girl's wrath, Raph huffed. Good _riddance_! He'll be one _heck_ of a leader. A _better_ one. Better than Mister Goody Three Toes! He'll be the best -

Before he could see it, a fist connected with his nose, sending him sprawling across the rooftop. Once he recovered from the strong blow, biting his tongue to prevent a yell of pain from bursting, he looked up to see his perpetrator, a little surprised at what he saw.

Jewel's chest heaved heavily, eyes narrowed with a murderous glint shining in the moonlight, fists clenched in a paling grip. His surprise washed away with seething anger replacing it as he glared up at the kunoichi, "What the heck -?!"

"You're a _tool_ , you know that, Raph?" she somewhat yelled, calm but angry at the same time, a little bit of smoke rising from her body. Holding his bloody snout, he raised an offended nonexistent eyebrow, "What did you just call me?"

She suppressed a growl, her anger boiling, "I've had it up to _here_ with you!" she yelled, putting her hand above her head in measurement to emphasize her point. Raph abruptly stood up, pointing an accusing finger at her, ignoring his throbbing snout and the dull but very irritable ache blooming from the wound, opening his mouth to retort but she beat him to it.

"Don't interrupt!" she held her hand up, palm facing him. Her voice rose with angry superiority over him, "I've _had_ it with you, Raphael! I've had it! I've had it with your insults, snappy remarks, _everything_! What did Leo ever do to you, Raph?! **_Huh?!_** What did he do to make you hate him?! What? Is it still because he's the leader and you're not?! Is that why?!" she yelled, seething with unquenchable anger.

Raph's glare never wavered like hers, and he blinked, "It _wasn't_ a rhetorical question." she spat, daring him to give back a quippy comeback. He restrained the sudden urge to whack her upside the head, "...I never said I hated him - which I don't - and he's not the leader anymore, princess, _I_ am!" he jabbed a thumb to his chest, gesturing to himself, glare hardening.

She scoffed, a bitter, humorless laugh erupting from her chest, "Oh _please_!" she shook her head, a bitter smile pulled upwards beneath the mask, "You seriously think I'm gonna follow **_you_**?! You're _dreaming_ if you think I'm going to every _little_ word you say." she yelled, voice oozing with venom.

His temper flaring, he didn't hold back, "Whatever, Jewel! At least I don't _kill_ people for a living -!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as a hand gripped at his throat, clogging his words up as he felt himself being lift off the ground slightly. He looked into the eyes of his so-called friend. Emerald locked into Royal Blue. His eyes were angry and in slight fear, as he was slightly choking at the hands of a certain angry kunoichi.

Never before had Jewel felt so angry. Everything she had bottled up was now squirting out of her very soul. A ball of fire ignited in her chest - figuratively. Everything was dangerously clear now, she could see and hear things clearly, but in a way that made her senses buzz like a hive of angry hornets. After months - no, _years_ of holding it all back, she let the anger flow...like a river over stone...

Enough was **_enough_**.

Glaring venomously up at Raphael, she tightened her hold on his neck ever so slightly, blocking his air hole a little more, a strangled cry emitting from him. "You. Know. _Nothing_ , Raphael. You don't know **_anything_** about me. You don't know what I can do. You don't know me." she seethed with anger, practically growling like a wild animal.

"I've been patient with you. Really, I have. But every _freakin'_ time...you just _had_ to bring _that_ up. Well let me tell you, Raph." a bitter smile stretched across her lips, but her eyes were a storm. "It's a _job_. It's a job where I get paid. Sure, I kill people, and I don't like it. But it makes pretty good money, that set food on my table for years. You see," she squeezed a little tighter, Raph gasping, now holding onto her hand with both of his bulkier ones. She could discreetly make out Donnie and Mikey holding her shoulders, jerking her arm, but she didn't budge. Not one bit.

"You worked for _Shredder_! F-For the **_F-F-Foot_**! _Aah!_ " he choked, his lungs suddenly feeling caved in. She chuckled, almost manic, "I was an _assassin_ for the Foot. I'm a _mercenary_. There's a difference." she said matter-of-factly.

He glared hotly at the girl, "S-Same thing!" he gasped.

She narrowed her eyes further, biting back the urge to test how far she could go with her enhanced strength. "Not exactly. An assassin kills important people - like the _president_. A mercenary will kill _anyone_ \- but they don't just _kill_. I'm paid to punch, kick, threaten - there's more to it than that. In fact, a month ago, I threaten some random kid for stalking a 'client' of mine. I didn't kill him or anything. Just a warning."

"Jewel, _come on_! You don't have to prove anything to us!" Donnie yelled, desperately yanking at her arm. Note to self: TEST how far her strength went!

"Yeah! Just let Raph go, and we can all go home and laugh about this tomorrow! No biggie!" Mikey begged with an anxious smile, the kind you used when near a violent dog that could claw at you any second.

Raph only glared, "G-Go ahe-ahead. Choke me to death. It'll only prove that I-I was _r-ri-right_ about you. A-A heartless ki-killer." he said in a strangled heap, suffocating.

She growled amimalistically, like a wild wolf on the prowl, so much it startled all three boys, Donnie and Mikey taking their hands back as of they had been burned, eyes widening in fear and surprise, even Raph had to restrain the urge to gulp in fear.

Never before had they seen Jewel in such a state. She was stoic, calm, and a little passive, but she was rebellious most of the time. To see her growl like some kind of animal, it...it unnerved them to the very core, stomachs churning; even _Mikey_ had lost his appetite.

"You'd like that; wouldn't you?" she whispered, voice frighteningly calm. "You'd like me to kill you right here. Right now. Would you?"

He didn't answer, his glare faltered.

Like a rag doll, he was dropped onto the ground, air filling into his lungs. He coughed and coughed, gingerly rubbing at his now bruised throat. He looked up to glare at the monster of a woman, her glimmering and murderous dark blue orbs staring back at him with such fierce intensity.

"...But I'm not going to." she gritted, eyes narrowed deeply, fists clenched, her civilian phone held tightly in her clenched palm, and he blinked in surprise. She had no problem killing him a second ago in her vice death grip.

"I'm not going to kill you because you're my friend. And for some, _very_ odd reason, I still care about you." she said with all honesty, voice hard and firm. The kunoichi glanced at her phone, her eyes skimming the screen. She looked back down at him, her glare never wavering, but it wasn't as murderous and venomous as before, just firm, "...I have to go. Model shoot."

They blinked in confusion.

A tired sigh came between her lips, "The modeling shoot I was telling you guys about. I was assigned to it a month ago. Remember? It's today and they're expecting me to be there in 30 minutes, so..." she trailed off, walking away from them, the same direction Leo left.

The three turtles stole a confused glance with each other, mouths shaped in an 'o'. Really? She was leaving? After nearly choking Raph to death without so much hesitation.

A growl threatening to erupt, Raph planted himself off the ground, his glare returning full force. " ** _What?!_** So that's it?! You're just gonna walk away? You almost **_killed_** me!" he yelled, his voice hoarse and raw. Stupid super strength.

She turned her head, facing them halfway, them only catching a glimpse of one eye, "...We're still friends, Raph. Whether you like it or not. And just like you, I have a job to do. I suggest you jump start to yours. It sounds messier than mine. Good luck with the whole 'leader' thing. You _better_ be right about handling it."

She didn't bother to wait for a response as she super sped off, disappearing in a hazy blur...

* * *

He stomped across the buildings, fists clenched, green knuckles a pale white, ocean blue eyes a storm. Leonardo stomped powerfully into the cement roof. He was even surprised his feet weren't bleeding, just a dull ache, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He paced back and forth angrily, kicking at the ground, a few pebbles cracking.

 ** _Argh!_** Raphael...that _jerk_! That idiotic, stupid, _lowlife_ , jerk! What did _he_ know?! Raph knew absolutely _nothing_ about the hardships of being a leader! He didn't know the stress, sweat, and _guilt_ he had always put into every time they went on a mission - planned _or_ ambushed.

Truthfully, he was hoping one of his loyal brothers or Jewel would step in and stop them, stop Leo from making that _stupid_ mistake. But...he was _tired_. He was tired! Tired of Raph or the other two from second guessing him, tired of second guessing himself, tired of this burden he had to carry. He was tired...of being _responsible_. He didn't _want_ to be the cause of his brothers' or Jewel's death or risk their lives because of one wrong move.

He wanted to have fun. He wanted to be more carefree, more... _loose_. He wanted a life of his own, to be free to make his own decisions without having to be responsible. He wanted the weight off his shoulders.

He didn't want to be Mister Goody Three Toes anymore.

Maybe...maybe this was his chance. Maybe he did the right thing. He could let go and let himself run wild, doing whatever he wants _whenever_ he wants.

Half of him scolded him for making such a sadistic choice and being selfish, that it was a bad idea and that he needed to stop acting like a spoiled brat. But who _cares_! He had every _right_ to act selfish and bratty. He had always played 'good boy' for his _whole freaking life_! If he wanted to act selfish and spoiled he was going to act selfish and spoiled! _Whether they liked it or not!_

And he wanted space, which he was glad his brothers and Jewel were giving him - even though a small part of him wished they would come after him and tell him to come back.

He leant against an air vent, arms folded over his chest, staring off at the sky like he wanted to burn holes through the invisible air. He lifted one foot and kicked it backwards at the air vent, a 'clank clank' scraping through the nighttime air. Growling like a wild beast to himself, he kicked a piece off, walking briskly away, teeth clenched and eyes a stormy gaze.

But first things first, blow off some steam.

He leapt off a few buildings, stopping by some random billboard, frowning sulkily. He needed to calm down...and there wasn't anyone to spar with to blow off said steam.

He breathed in and out, a technique Splinter had taught him when he was younger, back when he had trouble of keeping his temper in check. He closed his eyes, exhaling.

 _Happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts._

He smiled distantly to himself at a particular memory.

 _"All right, guys, it's getting late. We should probably head back home." Leo said, standing up; Splinter was probably starting to worry now. He was met with a series of disappointed 'awwwws' and groans, but they too eventually trudged one step forward._

 _Donnie paused mid-step, eyes going wide. He gasped sharply, catching the attention of his brothers, pointing a finger down at the street, "Guys, look at_ that _!" he whispered._

 _Leo looked down to find three pedestrians walking down the sidewalk near an antique shop. Donnie's gaze was solely fixated on a teenage girl, probably no older than sixteen, with dark auburn hair, freckles dotting her rosy cheeks, and light, sparkling blue orbs. Her wardrobe consisted of a yellow shirt, black leggings and sleeves, dark blue shorts, and dark brown boots with yellow and blue socks peeking out._

 _However, the other girl is who attracted the blue clad turtles' attention. She looked Asian, her skin a rich brown. She had long black hair, pink and blue tiger stripes sporting as highlights, and piercing royal blue orbs, just a shade darker than his own. She wore black mascara over her eyes, red-pink rouge lipstick painting her lips, one stud and earring pierced into each eyebrow, and had light pink paint dashed over her eyes, in the shape of lightning bolts._

 _Her wardrobe consisted most of rebel-punk, making her look edgy and kind of like a rebel._

 _His heart skipped a beat._

 _'...whoa...'_

He blinked in surprise, flinching slightly. The thought of Jewel made his heart flutter with joy and excitement. She somehow always managed to bring a smile to his face, speeding his heart rate up like a rocket. Ever since he'd laid eyes on her...he would admit, she... _interested_ him. He wasn't gonna lie, he thought she was attractive...in a hot, _sorta_ evil way. But she wasn't even evil. She was... _both_.

He knew it would be stupid if he asked the girl or something like that. She was a human, and a model. She could have any guy she wanted with the click of her tongue. But he couldn't help it. Jewel surprised him in _so_ many ways.

Sure, she was a killer, and she used to work for their worst enemy, and she took a quick buck to beat up some pour guy/girl. But even then and now he had found her quite attractive. As he pictured every little detail of her in his brain, her hair, her smile, her eyes, her laugh, even her dangerous and rebellious attitude...the female ninja had officially captured his heart.

Not only that, but she was one _heck_ of a fighter. She was _perfect_ for him!

Movement caught his eye, narrowing them in suspicion.

Turning on his heel, swiftly taking out his swords, he was met with a bunch of all-too familiar ninjas from a certain clan. He gained a quick, defensive stance, arching a brow.

"Foot Clan?" he asked incredulously, scoffing. Not the best night to mess with him, but oh well. "You guys just made my night."

And he plunged into battle.

One sliced his sword towards his head, the blue clad turtle ducking as he knocked him away with his wrist, blocking off another onslaught of swords with his own. Pushing powers into his arms, he pushed the ninja away with a cry. One raised his sword over his head, slicing it at him but Leo blocked him with a powerful kick, sending the Foot ninja sprawling away. With a powerful punch, he sent another crashing into a metal pipe, knocking him and the others unconscious.

Panting slightly, arms spread out wide with his three fingered hands gripping the hilt of his swords, knees slightly bent, Leonardo smiled to himself. _Seriously?_ _These_ were the ninjas Shredder hired to take him and his brothers hostage? _Please._ These ninjas were a bunch of jokes, trained by a master of martial arts bloodthirsty for revenge, and he took them out in _less_ than 30 seconds.

 _Wow._ Shredder must've been desperate.

"I feel so much better -"

He heard someone land softly on top of the billboard, poised in a low crouch. He squinted his eyes at his new attacker, who flipped over their head with incredible speed, landing with bent knees, raising them self to face him with an unreadable look. A girl.

She had short black and yellow dyed hair, piercing amber orbs, and a black mask covering the bottom half of her face, complimented with a silver and black ninja outfit.

He gripped the hilts of his swords tighter, wide-eyed. Despite the fact that she was probably about to try and kill him in a few seconds, he couldn't help but think...

 _'...Whoa...'_

"Not bad." she said, her golden brown eyes piercing through his ocean blue's.

The blue clad turtle faltered in his intimidating glare. "U-Uh...thanks?" he stuttered.

She chuckled dryly just a bit, a little teasing, "You might _actually_ be a challenge." she said, walking a little closer to him. He slapped himself out of his musings, narrowing his eyes and gripping the handles of his twin swords, stance readying.

She snaked a hand behind her back, slashing out her short, tanto sword with a puff of smoke floating towards him.

It invaded his eyes, stinging and watering as he coughed and wheezed, covering them as best he could with one hand still holding his katana. Through his blurry vision, the girl sped towards him at breakneck speed. With a powerful grunt, she shoved her knee into Leo's stomach, sending him flying and his shell smacking him onto the edge of the building. He opened his eyes, a foot planting on his chest, pinning him down.

The girl brought her short sword to his neck. His reddened eyes widened as he looked up at the girl.

"Guess _not_." she conceitedly concluded. She tore off her mask, revealing red, smirking lips, "My name's Karai." she introduced. He rose a brow, muttering a _'huh?'_

She looked... _almost_ like Jewel. Her makeup was _strikingly_ similar to the female mercenary's, except Jewel's lightning bolts eye paint were a light pink and Karai's were red. Her eye shape, eyebrows, and makeup looked just like Jewel's. She had the same, slender build as her too. The only differences between them were height, head shape (Jewel's was much more ovaly and angular but she had the same chin shape as Karai), and Jewel was a few inches shorter and her skin was darker...and her nose was smaller and thinner.

Her smirk widened, lifting her foot off of him and twirling her sword into her sash, "See you around." was all she said before flipping and swinging back behind the billboard.

Leo stood up, a little winded and blinded, looking up at her retreating form confusedly. " _Ugh._ What was _that_?" he asked no one in particular.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

My fists were shaking, so much I had to fold my arms over my chest as I walked briskly on the sewer tunnels, my boots sloshing against the sewage water. Yuck. Glad I was gonna change when I get to my room.

My head was lowered, blue eyes narrowed, and I'm pretty sure my brows were knitted together. I scowled down at the dirty water as if I wanted to burn holes into the ground.

 ** _Ugh!_** That...Raph, that _jerk_! I just... _ugh!_ I could just...I could just... _ugh_ , I'm so mad **_I can't even think straight!_** Sometimes he makes me so mad I just wanna grab his neck, twist it, and **_tear it off his head!_**

How _dare_ he bring the 'killing people' thing up! He doesn't know. I don't kill people every day. It's actually pretty rare! And it's not like I _enjoy_ killing people for a quick buck, stabbing, beating up a bunch of poor souls. I don't _like_ it! But you know what...it's _my_ life, _my_ decision, and _**I can do whatever I want!**_

Growling under my breath, I sharply turned a corner, walking through the turnstiles and stomping down the stupid steps.

I stomp harshly on the poor, unfortunate ground, glowering. I walk through the darkened hall, turning a corner to my room, slamming the door shut so hard I think I triggered my super strength. I turn around and look at my slight bent door, rolling my eyes. _Pfft._ Whatever.

Fuming, I huff through my nose, peeling off my outfit. I open my closet door and just grab anything I could find - I didn't have it in me to pick and match. After throwing down my 'outfit' onto my bed, I slip off my hair tie, my hair flowing down my back, no longer in its' ponytail. I violently ruffle my hair, grabbing my brush.

I face my mirror, aggressively brushing my raven locks, like they were the ones making me mad. It hurt, but not by much. I snap off my choker, peel off my gloves, keeping my mom's charm bracelet on. I bend to the ground, unbending straight up, whipping my hair, making it a little messy.

I grab a black head scarf, pulling my hair back and tying the scarf, securing the knot in the back of my neck. I ran my fingers down my hair, pulling the band back to show a thin line of black hair peeking out in the front, flowing midnight hair in the back. The tails of the scarf tickled the back of my neck a little but I didn't pay much mind to it.

I turn a heel to slip on my outfit. After jerking it on, I turn and look at myself in the mirror. Huh. I was wearing my fiery red short-sleeved shirt dress with an argyle sweater vest over it. Not bad, I guess. It definitely screamed Ivy League or something like that. Meh.

I pull on my black, tall boots, running a hand through the back of my hair, breathing angrily through my nose.

I looked at my bare hands.

 _"At least I don't kill people for a living -!"_

I clenched my hands into fists, closing my eyes.

I tried to calm myself down, but my temper was starting to flare up even higher. So what if I killed people just for a quick buck? What does _Raph_ know? Nothing, I tell you. He doesn't know. They don't know. _None_ of them know what I've been through. And they say they understand but guess what? They **_don't!_** They don't understand me and they **_never_** will!

Growling like a wild beast, gritting my teeth, I sharply turned around, swinging the door open and slammed it behind me, stomping into the living room. I started muttering Japanese curses under my breath.

I still had a few more minutes to kill. Just a quick punching bash wouldn't kill me, right? I just need to blow off a little bit of steam.

Rolling my eyes, scoffing, I turned on my heel, livid. I started pacing back and forth, red sparking at the corners of my eyes. I was pretty sure I was growling...and that someone was watching me. But I didn't care. I couldn't think straight. All I knew in that moment was that I wanted to punch something!

With a wild, animalistic growl, I dug a heel to turn, pupils dilated, and I punched the wall, creating a big ol' dent.

Heaving, I stared off into space, Raph's stupid and cruel words mulling over my head. My temples bloomed with a dull ache and I groaned softly to myself, gingerly massaging it, face pinched in slight pain.

A hand landed on my shoulder.

Whipping around so fast I could've gotten whiplash, I spun around, raising my gun at the little lowlife who _dared_ to -!

Oh...it was just Splinter staring at me with a raised brow, stroking his beard.

Blinking in mild surprise, I lowered my gun, lowering my gaze as well, "...oh...it's just you." I muttered silently I wasn't even sure he heard it, but I guess he did since he had enhanced hearing and all.

He seemed to be studying me for a minute, eyes twinkling in confusion, "Is everything alright, Julia?" he asked calmly, maybe even a little concerned. I folded my arms over my chest, shrugging one shoulder with a coy smirk, "Just peachy." I answered. As a High Ranking Kunoichi, I had to be the master of deception. If it worked on Shredder (sorta), it should work on Splinter.

He regarded me with a raised, disbelieving eyebrow, "I will ask you again. Are you alright? And I believe it would be a wise choice if you answered _honestly_." his voice was soft but pretty firm. Okay, _maybe_ I can't lie to Splinter. Might as well give up.

I sighed, shoulders visibly slumping, "Okay. You got me. No, I'm not...alright. In fact, I'm the very opposite of alright." I answered honestly, voice bitter. "And what would be the problem?" I close my eyes, brows furrowing, Raph's words playing like a record on repeat.

 _"At least I don't kill people for a living -!"_

 _"A-A heartless ki-killer."_

I couldn't take it anymore. I just _couldn't_ take this anymore. Growling, I screamed, turning away from my Splinter and punching the wall in again. Now I created a bigger hole...

A hand landed on my shoulder, leading me away from the living room, and into the dojo. Splinter now had both hands on my shoulders, making me face him. I blinked. Uh...?

"Sit."

With a little bit of reluctance (and maybe the look Splinter was giving me, daring me to disobey), I sat cross-legged onto the dojo mats, raising a suspicious brow. I opened my mouth a few times, unable to comprehend what was going on.

He sat in front of me, calm and collected as always. Huh. Kinda like Leo. Wait, why would that remind me of Leo? "Julia." he said, bringing me back to attention. I hummed. "I am going to teach you a medication technique I taught Leonardo when he was at a young age. I believe it should work on you."

I had to laugh at that. Really? _Meditation?_ "Uhh, no offense, Master Splinter, but I don't think meditation would work for me." I say, raising an amused brow. He smiled lightly, "It is a simple one. One that could work for you. Now," he held his hand out, "give me your hand." he ordered softly.

With a roll of my eyes - this wasn't gonna work - I placed my hand in his, which he held and closed his eyes, nodding. "Good. Now, think of your happiest memory within the last few months you have been living with us. Do not think, just remember." he instructed. Seriously? Remembering _requires_ thinking!

I rolled my eyes skyward, scoffing, "This is _stupid!_ " I snapped. His eyes bored into mine for a second, and I had to restrain the urge to shrink under his intense stare. "Focus." was all he said, holding my hand a little tight, probably making sure I don't run off.

 _Ugh._ Fine. I'll try to remember without thinking. Let's just get this over with.

I sighed through my nose, closing my eyes, letting myself relax.

A spark of light flashed before my eyes as a memory came flooding back to me.

 _Leonardo rolled back on his muddy shell, clutching his stomach, as he howled in laughter. He was sopping wet and covered in mud, but he still laughed nonetheless. Across from him, Jewel howled in laughter, her hair wet and muddy, as well as her outfit._

 _She flipped herself up, scooping a pretty big portion of mud, throwing it at the blue clad turtles' face. As soon as the mud hit him square in the face, the boy grimaced, wiping it off with a yelp._

 _"Hey! That's not fair. I wasn't even ready!" he chortled, standing up and continuously wiping at his face. The kunoichi rolled her eyes skyward, "Life isn't fair. Haven't you been listening to Splinter?" she scolded mockingly._

 _He rolled his eyes good naturedly at her, huffing in an amused chuckle. He looked back down on the ground, and then slid his gaze back to her, and grinned mischievously. Scooping up a pile of wet mud, he raised his arm over his head, and with lightning speed, he threw it straight at the mercenary's face._

 _Jewel scrunched her nose, dragging the mud down her face, nose still wrinkled, "Blegh! Not cool, Lion Boy!" she whined like a little kid who wasn't getting their candy._

 _He merely grinned at her, ocean blue orbs twinkling in giddy playfulness and mischief, "Hey, don't blame me. You should've been ready, remember? A ninja never lets their guard down!" he declared with his fists planted on his sides, using his 'Captain Ryan' voice._

 _She groaned, pinching the space between her brows, "My_ god _, you're annoying." she groaned with a roll of her eyes, smirking widely._

 _"I know you are but what am_ I _?" he laughed, raindrops splattering all over him and his shell, causing a light 'thud'._

 _She playfully glared at him, brows furrowed, her nose scrunched, and smiling a little, "Screw you!" she yelled, her voice oozing with childlike playfulness, a puddle of mud in her hand._

 _Suddenly, he smirked, eyes narrowing, an idea of his brewing, "Hey, that's what my new girlfriend is gonna do late -"_

 _He used his ninja reflexes to block the oncoming wad of mud being thrown at him, taking a step aside with a bark of laughter. At this point...Leonardo was laughing his_ shell _off! He wasn't the only one, Jewel clutched her stomach with one hand, laughing loudly into the rain, soaked and covered in piles of mud._

 _Thunder boomed, lightning crackled the sky, painting a brief white streak across the midnight sight, ignored by two, laughing teens as they threw mud across each other, not a care in the world._

I smile fondly to myself. Huh. I giggle at the sight of Lion Boy soaking wet and covered in mud. He looked _so_ ridiculous. "Took us 3 hours to get all that mud off." I say to no one in particular.

"Interesting." I hear.

My eyes snap wide open, blinking rapidly until my vision clears and I see Master Splinter staring back at me with an amused smile, stroking his beard thoughtfully...and I think he might be restraining a chuckle?

The back of my neck heats up in embarrassment, and I plaster a fake, sheepish smile. "U-Uh...how much did you hear?" I ask, my voice cracking slightly. His smile widened, whiskers twitching, "Nothing. But I can sense you were thinking about Leonardo, correct?" he probed knowingly...but I'm guessing he already knew the answer to that.

Feebly, I nodded, "...umm, not to be rude, Sensei, but...how did you know I was in a bad mood?" I ask him, attempting to change the subject. I didn't want to get in with this 'Lion Boy' issue right now.

He rose an eyebrow, probably noticing me dodging the question, but he doesn't probe any further. "Well, other than you punching the wall -" I wince "I could sense something strange about you when I saw you just a minute ago." he calmly explained. My shoulders sag, "...oh..." I lower my gaze, looking back at the base of my palms.

"But just out of curiosity, _why_ are you upset, Julia? Did something happen tonight?" he asked me in a hushed whisper. I frown, clenching my hands again, shaking when my knuckles turned white. I swallow thickly, my jaw clenched.

 _"A-A heartless ki-killer."_

 _"You worked for Shredder!"_

 _"F-For the F-F-Foot!"_

 _"I-I was r-ri-right about you."_

 _"Psychopath."_

 _"Lunatic."_

 _"You are nothing_ but _a soilder, Julia. You're place is in the Foot!"_

 _"Killer."_

 _"Monster."_

 _Crack._

I hold my head between my hands, a dull ache forming at the base of my head. "Oww..." I groan, brows furrowing tightly. I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Julia." Splinter says in a soft whisper. I hum, showing him I could still hear him.

"Julia, listen to me very carefully." he orders, tightening his hold on my shoulder, "You are, by _no_ means, a psychopath or a monster. You are just like us. True, we don't like your...line of work. But it is your life and your decisions. And we all care deeply about you. Even Raphael. And we are all here for you, should you ever need us. We are your family. And to me, you are like the daughter I lost all those years ago. And I am proud to call you my daughter if you were. Do you understand?" he asks me softly, smiling like a proud type of father.

I nod, releasing my head and smiling sincerely at him, grateful, "Thank you, Sensei."

* * *

I draw up outside in front if an astounding, white, beautifully carved building with a red carpet spread out in front of it. The Kaylee Fashion Show is being held in a proper red velvet theater. A runway was built down the middle of the room, lights flashing.

I dodge a few photographers, walking in a deserted hallway and come face-to-face with an all-too familiar face.

William beamed at me, spreading out his arms widely, squealing, " _Oooh!_ My Little Wolfie Mooch!" he shrieked, shattering my eardrums; I restrain the urge to wince. He forced me into a hug, his arms wrapped around me like I was some teddy bear.

I roll my eyes with a smirk on my face. He never changes. "Hello to you, too, William." I sarcastically greet, patting his back awkwardly. He booms a laugh, surprisingly no one turns their head. "Hello, my strawberry juice!" he pulls me off, firmly grasping my arms, looking at my outfit, beaming from ear to ear, "Good choice in the outfit industry!" he howls, flashing a white grin, " _Total_ Ivy League!"

...and he squeezes me into _another_ bone-crushing hug...

"Wlliam, please don't crush my model to death." a snippy voice orders, her heels clacking against the white, polished floors. Thankfully (mostly for me), he pulls back. Lucy Leal walks over to us, a hand on her hip, her face stone cold.

"Julia King," she continues seamlessly, "Everyone's getting ready backstage. Please go and join them. Reporters and critics are going to arrive immediately and I can't have the face of my new campaign standing here in an Ivy League uniform."

I look down at my dress, smiling bemusedly at her, eyes twinkling in mischief, "It's not a uniform. I just like looking preppy sometimes." I answer with a coy smirk. She narrows her eyes, "I cannot begin to tell you how _little_ I care." she snaps, "Now go and get ready. Your name is on the tag for your outfit."

I give her a mock salute, a lopsided grin painting my lips, "Aye, aye, Captain." I say, smiling a Mikey-smile, the silk curtains swallowing me whole.

One thing I hate about the backstage world.

 _This._

There is skin everywhere. Full of toned, really tall girls wandering around, giggling like yippy puppies and almost naked - saved for their bra and underwear - like it's the most natural thing in the world. I'm standing by the doorway, _way_ too many people noticing me. Like New Yorkers, they come and go, staring.

At school, some girl Micah is the cool girl, Gwen's the tough girl, I'm the genius and beautiful girl. I scan the room. A few girls point and look at me, whispering and glaring, like I'm some kind of insect. There are mountains of clothes, dozen of people, a shine of bright lights, blinding a few people, hair spray, and a roar of hair dryers and girls.

With a trained, confident smirk, I strode across the room. Confidence oozes out of every vein in my body. Every girl in the room froze, every eye on me. My smirk grew across my face.

Time to show these wannabes a _real_ model.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

She giggled as she took another swig of her water, nodding to her friend. Her and her friend stood in front of the mirror, admiring how _gorgeous_ they looked.

She was admiring the dress she was in. One of Lucy Leal's originals. It was a short, ice blue dress. It had a tulle skirt, crystal and rhinestone beading covering the neckline and waist. The bodice of the dress was a sweetheart neckline paired with white, silvery heels.

The shade of the icy dress complimented the girl's tanned, shiny skin. Her hair was straightened, along with the bangs adorning her forehead. Her hair was a golden blonde decorated with cinnamon streaks. The dress was a high but intriguing contrast to her dark emeralds, lips a soft pink.

Next to her was her friend. She wore a fitted, floral lace crop top with a halter neckline complimented with a long, full skirt made of taffeta and a fun floral pattern. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, her eyes a minty green, lips a deep, rich red, a dark contrast of a rebel to her polished, pale skin.

These girls were no other than one of Kaylee's Top Ten Models. Amy and Lily.

Amy giggled at a joke Lily said, combing her golden and cinnamon locks with the back of her hand. She nibbled on a chocolate bar, a hand snatching it way. Amy sharply looked up to meet her perpetrator, Lily holding the bar by her fingertips, face written in mock disappointment. "Ah. Ah. _Ah._ " she tsked, shaking her head with a few clicks of her tongue.

Amy uncharacteristically pouted, "Aw, _come on_ , Lils!" she whined, throwing her arms up in exasperation, "It's just _one_ bar. Just a _nibble_!"

Lily rolled her eyes, "Even with _one_ nibble you could get _pimples_. And pimples are a girl's _worst_ enemy." she scolded playfully, her smile brightening from ear to ear, dropping the bar into the garbage, like a rock falling into the deep depths of the ocean.

Amy folded her arms over her chest, nose scrunched, "Puh _-lease._ " she scoffed, sarcastic as always. "It's not like I'll be growing a _mustache_ overnight. Just a nibble?" she pleaded, eyes wide and pleading as if she were a little kid again, begging for a cookie.

Lily sighed heavily, opening her mouth to spit back a retort, when suddenly she stopped, eyes going wide, and then narrowing as her brows knitted together.

Amy rose an eyebrow, face written in confusion as her friend stared distantly at something, like she wanted to strangle whatever or _whoever_ it was.

The room was deathly silent now, aside from a light thud and a few, chittered whispers spilling from the other girl's lips. ' What are they all staring at?' she asked herself in her head. Curious, she turned around, following everyone's eyes until she found the source of their confusion...

And her jaw dropped.

Walking into the room in a casual manner - like she _lived_ here - was the most beautiful girl Amy has ever seen. Sure, she and Lily were no pushovers in that department but this girl was on an _entirely_ different level! Unlike the haughtiness she and Lily had perfected to hide any of their insecurities, this particular girl strolled in with a confidence that seemed out of place in high school _and_ a model dressing room for a big time fashion show.

For a moment...Amy saw red.

Jewel. **_Freaking._** King.

Every girl in the room stared. Stared at her perfect hair, her perfect eyes, even her perfect smirk. They all stared at the preppy dress she wore, clinging to every curve in her body perfectly.

Amy narrowed her eyes, glaring at the girl like she wanted to burn holes through her. It wasn't that Amy hated Jewel...oh wait, she _did_. Truthfully, Amy personally didn't like Jewel. She was calm, witty, and too much of a rebel. If Jewel wasn't a model, _Amy_ would be the top model for the magazine. But thanks to 'Little Miss Gorgeous'...she was stuck as _second_.

...and there was another thing she hated about Jewel in particular...

Taking a step forward, Lily confusedly stumbling behind, Amy plastered the fakest of smiles at the top model, her dark emeralds fill with cold and ruthless venom. "Well, look at what the cat dragged in." she spat, the venom in her tone surprising even her.

Jewel rose an eyebrow, coolly smirking bemusedly at the angry model, "Hello to you too, Pinkie. Wonderful weather we're having, aren't we?" her voice oozed with playfulness and mockery, royal blue orbs sparkling in playful mischief.

Amy restrained a growl, movement catching her eye. Another girl stood beside Jewel, and then another...although she seemed to be stumbling in her steps timidly, like she was more insecure than the other girl.

One of the girls with more confidence than the other slung an arm around Jewel's shoulders, smirking venomously at Amy, "I don't know about you, Amy, but I'm feeling pretty good about the weather." she turned her head to the other girl with expectant eyes, "Aren't _you_ , Nicole?"

The girl with darker hair - Nicole - flinched slightly, eyes sliding up to meet everyone's gaze, waiting for her answer. She looked at Jewel and the blonde girl, then back at Amy and Lily. She did this for a few more seconds, and finally rambled an answer. "U-uh. S-sure. Wonderful weather. D-definitely one to remember. Just like this show. It'll be _one_ to remember." she said in high-pitched, overly perky squeak.

Amy rose a brow but didn't question the brunette, turning her eyes back on Jewel. She opened her mouth to say something, but Jewel beat her to it, holding a hand up, " _Don't_ start." she ordered in a voice that was strong and commanding, like some kind of War General ordering his soldiers.

"Excuse me?" she spat, a little insulted that she was interrupted.

Jewel's royal blues stared back at her with unmistakable venom. "I said 'don't start'. As in don't start _another_ fight. Mainly 'cus you're starting to wear my patience down." she replied irritably. Amy gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes into angry slits, balling her hands into fists, " _I'm_ starting to wear your patience!" she screamed in disbelief, she gestured an arm to Jewel, " _You're_ the one who started this whole thing!"

"What? Because _I_ got to walk down the runway with a guy dressed as **_Captain Ryan_**?!" she spat back, her eyes no longer nonchalant calm, now a hurricane if rage and venom. "For god's sake, Amy, we were _twelve_! Get over it already!" she folded her arms tightly over her chest, her two friends glaring at the girl across from them, arms crossed too.

Amy scoffed, smiling bitterly, "It wasn't because of _that_!" she corrected angrily, "It was because you **_stole_** my boyfriend!" she yelled, a few girls in the room audibly gasping with their hands over their mouths. Jewel rolled her eyes, (seriously, she _didn't_ steal her boyfriend!).

"I did not _steal_ your boyfriend. He just dumped you to ask me out, warthog." she rebuked with a scoff. Amy took a threatening step towards the fellow model, the blonde girl's eyes hardening and she placed a protective hand over Jewel's shoulder. Amy jabbed an accusing finger in her chest, "You _knew_ I dated him when he asked you out! I'm not an idiot! Don't think I didn't see the little flirting banter between the two of you. You were **_totally flirting with him!"_**

Jewel's eyes narrowed further, a brow arching up, "Knock it off, Amy!" she snapped, slapping her hand away, her own temper raising. "I will admit, I was flirting a little bit. But I perfectly made it clear that it was just only to _tease_ him." she explained, a murderous glint in her eyes, she shrugged one shoulder coolly, "If it makes you feel any better," she smirked coldly, "...I dumped him 4 weeks later."

Amy's emeralds widened in rage, "Why would _that_ make me feel **_better_**?!" she snapped, throwing her arms up. Jewel tilted her head, shrugging like she didn't care, "I don't know. I just thought it would." she answered, her unforgiving smirk never leaving her face. Amy scoffed, a humorless chuckle spewing out from her lips, "You know what you are, Jewel? **_Nothing!"_** she visibly seethed with anger, Lily glaring back at Jewel and her two friends.

"Without your precious looks, you're _nothing_! You're just some lame, selfish, **_lunatic brat!_** " she growled, glaring at Jewel like she wanted to choke her to death. Nicole stiffened, eyes sliding to Jewel, as if to see any reaction. The blonde girl visibly bristled, restarting herself from strangling that little brat.

Jewel merely raised an eyebrow, regarding her words with cold indifference, scoffing, "Wow, Amy. You're so kind. I'm _really_ feeling all the love here." she sarcastically quipped with a roll of her eyes. Amy shook her head, smirking coldly, "Always a way out, huh?" she probed, folding her arms over her chest, "Y'know, Julie, there's a Mother-Daughter sleepover next weekend. Wanna join us?" she mockingly prodded a finger to her chin, tilting her head in mock realization, gasping, "Oh wait! I forgot!" she smiled shrewdly, "You've never _had_ a mother before."

There were a series of 'ooooo's' and 'awwwwws' and an ocean of gasps. Nicole placed a shaking hand over her mouth, face painted in shock. The blonde girl's eyes bulged out of her head, blue/green eyes glimmering in rage, jaw clenched, face turning red in anger. Even Lily stared at her friend in shock, mouth agape.

Jewel narrowed her eyes dangerously, a growl erupting from her throat, like a wolf about to pounce on it's prey, startling all the girls - even Amy. Apart from her eyes, her face was stone cold, blank as a statue, shoulders lax. To all of their surprise, Jewel smiled, a smile that was as _sweet_ as sugar, her eyes murderous and ruthless, "I may have never had a mother," she snarled, "but at least my father didn't **_abandon me!"_**

There was a series of gasps of disbelief. A few girls chuckled, one muttering an 'oh no she didn't!'. The girl next to Jewel smirked, "Good one." she complimented, never taking her eyes off Amy. "Thanks Gwen." she thanked, smirking coldly at the girl, restraining herself from laughing on the look on Amy's face.

Tears prickled her emerald eyes, jaw opened, taking a few, clumsy steps back as her face paled, a whimper escaping between her lips, "You know what, Julie? You're an ugly, _little **brat!"**_ she gritted, staring at Jewel with pure and unadulterated hatred, "You're a psychopath. A **_monster_**." and without another word, she entered another room, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Lily glared at Gwen, then back at Jewel, huffing before stomping away. A few girls stared at them, whispering. Gwen sent them a withering glare, "Nothing to see here, people! Get on with your lives. Show's over!" she snapped, shooing them away. Like bugs, they scrambled away, chattering amongst themselves.

Nicole released a breath she didn't know she was holding, holding a hand to her chest, waving her hands in front of her face, "Calm down, Nicole. Don't sweat. You don't sweat. You _glow_." she chanted to herself, still a little freaked. Gwen rolled her eyes in annoyance, patting a hand to Jewel's arm, "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

 _'Good riddance.'_ Jewel thought. Unlike Amy, Jewel kept all her emotions locked up; they would only render her weak during the battlefield. She stood casually between her two friends, shrugging like nothing ever happened, "Breezy." she answered coolly, smirking her signature smirk. However, a part of her - too deep down to dig up once she'd buried it - felt a _smidge_ guilty for screaming that to Amy. Not her finest moment, but could you blame her? Perhaps she would apologize later tonight. Maybe.

Gwen looked like she was about to argue when somebody says, "Julia?" a friendly looking lady in purple taps her on the shoulder just in the nick of time. "This is your outfit." and she unzips the clothes bag. An audible hiss swims across the room as Jewel and everybody else stared at the contents.

It was a shimmering, light pink dress. It had a high-low, gathered ball gown skirt that swooped down to the ankles at back, stopping above the knee at the front. It had a high halter neckline and keyhole opening at the bust area. The silky pink fabric glowed in the bright lights; it was truly beautiful.

"And these," the kind lady held up a pair of crystal pink high heels. Another gasp and a hiss traveled throughout the room. "...are your shoes." Jewel's brows shot up, "It's pretty." she said, like she didn't even bother to pay attention. The lady smiled sweetly, "I'm glad you think so. You're the Closer. All eyes will be on _you_ , hon."

* * *

He didn't know what to do. One minute they were fighting Snakeweed and the next they were carrying an injured Mikey to the lair. And now he was heading off to the Byerly Building, possibly saving his older brother from potential danger.

How could he have been so stupid? He wasn't cut out for this. He wondered how Leo had done it. Sure, he had no problem risking his own life...but his brothers? No. He could never do that. Raph could never put them in danger. Or put Jewel in danger. Who he owed a BIG apology to.

Deep down - a part of himself he would never admit - Raph was truly touched by Jewel's words.

 _"I still care about you."_

And deep down, he cared about her too. Jewel and April were like his sisters. The red head was like a caring, big sister, the raven head was like the rebellious, annoying little sister. Raph felt horrible about what he said. He didn't mean for that to come out, it was just in the heat of the moment...

But that was no excuse. He didn't hate Jewel. He was just a little hurt she had lied to them about a lot of stuff. And Leo...

Oh man. _Leo._

He gave Leo a pretty hard time. He was the reason Leo was potentially hurt. He had snapped at his big brother, probably hurt his feelings, and made him lose confidence in himself. As if the guy wasn't _already_ beating himself. He had to make things right. Between himself and Leo, and Jewel.

Nodding to himself, his decision set, he quickened his pace, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

Unaware at a patch of pollen smoking behind his shell...

* * *

Leonardo was confused. Scratch that. He was _really_ confused. After a little fighting (sparing?) and bantering with Karai...Leo was supposed to meet her up at the Byerly Building.

Now, Leo was no expert on romance, but even he knew it was never a wise choice to have a crush on two girls at the _same_ time. Jewel and Karai were exactly the same...but also complete opposites.

Both were rebellious teenagers, enjoying the freedom to make their own mistakes. Trouble seemed to follow them wherever they went. And both were highly trained and skilled kunoichi's. But...they were so different and the same. Karai seemed to be okay working in the Foot, while Jewel hated her time there. And Karai didn't seemed to have any psychological problems or anything.

Earlier he had went to April's for help. And after she whacked him upside the head with a rolled up magazine (it has really stung!), the red head had yelled at him for being so reckless, and that it was a bad idea since Karai was in the Foot Clan. But she was fun! Pretty much like Jewel fun...

Yeah...he had A LOT to think about. But...?

 _Which girl did he like more?_

* * *

"NEXT!" an angry man wearing headsets shouted. "Come on, ladies! We don't have time for a lip gloss touch-up! Get on the stage!" he barked, waving his arm around, holding a clipboard in the other.

A small queue of models formed on one side of the curtains, like they were preparing for the war.

"Where's Julia?!" the angry man shouts, eyes scanning the room. "She's over there." Gwen informed him from the line. Her light, golden hair was pulled into a tight, high bun, her bangs brushed to the left. She wore a sea-foam green gown with a strapless neckline and full A-line skirt that fell gracefully to the floor. The skirt was tulle with layers of lace, and rhinestones decorated the waist.

He followed the direction of her arm, eyes landing on the Closer.

"Uh...I appreciate for your help." Jewel awkwardly sorta thanked; she was never good at saying 'thank you'. Sky - her stylist - winks at her, smiling, "My pleasure, Julie. Knock 'em dead, kiddo." and she gently nudges her back into the world of fashion, towards the line.

As soon as she got close enough to the headset guy, "Get ready." he says, "You're almost up." She stood against the curtains and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her dress fit perfectly in her body, graceful and an ocean of beauty. Her hair was brushed back, pulled into a ponytail. Golden glitter glimmered in the light, the bright, stage lights reflected off her dark hair.

She smirked confidently, taking a breath, shoulders relaxed. "You're up," the man with the headsets says, "Good Luck, Julia." And she climbed up the stairs, into the bright lights of fashion.

The lights were so bright she could hardly see anything. She could discreetly make out Wilbur sitting in the back, giving her a thumbs up. On her right, out of the corner of her eye, she could vaguely see Lucy Leal sitting in the center of the front row, her face like a statue.

For a second, she took it all in, internally smirking. And she starts walking. Her steps were graceful, like she was a majestic wolf trudging through the snow, her face blank, slightly bored. One hand was on her hip, the other limply hung by her side. The music boomed in her ears and she followed the tune. Trained and professional; as always. One foot in front of the other. All eyes were on her, people chittering to each other, photographers taking pictures.

When she gets to the bottom of the runway, flashes of white spots coming her way, she pauses with one hand on her hip, then she faces toward the left, and then the right, and she pauses again. She turned to walk back, people taking in 'oooos' and 'aaaahhhs'.

Amy makes her way to the runway, face a little flushed, like her makeup was rushed. She looked left and right, pausing. People took her in to appreciate her dress. Amy gives a toss of her head and starts walking up the center of the stage toward Jewel.

And all of a sudden, the sudden look of panic on her face is getting more and more pronounced. She nervously looks left and right, wondering what she should do. People whispered confusedly to themselves, their brows knitted together, and Lucy's eyes nearly bulged, rising from her seat ever so slightly.

Wide eyed, Amy stumbled, face written in panic. Jewel manages to keep a calm facade, her face a void of emotion. Amy's face was glowing a fierce red, emeralds growing wider by the second...

...one of her ankles buckles completely...

With the smallest of gasps, Amy plummets like a stone onto the runway.

And the whole audience has taken one loud, audible breath.

Jewel stares numbly at Amy, who desperately tries to stand up. Unfortunately, her heels keep slipping, and her eyes shine with tears, cheeks ablaze. A few models scramble out of the curtains, staring at the poor girl. And like a tidal wave, they start pointing and erupting into nasty giggles, a few people in the audience joining in. Jewel glances at Lucy, whose face is covered by one hand, eyes shut, and possibly groaning while shaking her head.

Jewel blinks at Amy, who she locks eyes with. Through the humiliation and shame, her eyes are glowing with defeat, as if to say 'you win'.

And Jewel's stomach lurches, a spark of pity igniting in the pit of her chest. She frowned sadly at the girl. True, she didn't like Amy, and after their debacle she was pretty sure she hated her guts, Jewel sharing the feeling. But...but Amy wasn't a bad person. Jewel had her own faults too. Not even _Amy_ deserved this. And maybe this could be her way of apologizing?

Her decision set, the kunoichi took a deep breath and lowered herself down to Amy's level, softly sitting next to her.

There's a stunned silence, models gasping and covering their mouths, Gwen and Nicole smiling, nodding in approval.

Amy's eyes were wide with disbelief, like she was wondering if this was actually happening. She opened her mouth a few times, clamping her jaw shut. Jewel held out her hand with the sincerest of smiles, eyes warm and soft. Shakily, Amy takes her hand in hers, mouthing a 'thank you'. Her face melted in gratitude and relief as Jewel rose both of them up, slowly. And together, they strolled off the runway, the curtains swallowing them.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

Well...after _that_ little show, I got undressed and practically super sped out of there. I didn't really know what came over me back there. I just...I felt bad for Amy. I know we aren't really friends or anything, but...

Uhh. It's complicated.

Anyways, I leapt from rooftop to rooftop, trying to clear my thoughts. Bleh. I am seriously going to need heavy painkillers when I get home -

 _Home._

Did I...did I just refer to the lair as my home? _Wow._ First time for everything.

I mean, I guess I do consider the lair as my home. I have been living there for the past 2 months. It's...it's just a lot to take in, y'know? One minute I'm staying in a fancy-shmancy hotel room, the next minute I have fire powers, super speed and strength, and I'm living with a mutated rat and his mutant ninja turtles son. Huh. How time flies.

Gracefully, I twirl in the air, like a ballerina, and land soundlessly on my feet, breaking back into my sprint. The wind swooshes through my whole body, cooling my skin. My hair whips back, fluttering slightly. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, my long and slender legs taking me forward. A wide smile breaks behind my mask, when suddenly...

My vision suddenly began to swim before my very eyes, my head reeling and throbbing painfully as I fell onto my knees, putting my hands into my head as I yelped in pain. What was going on? What is this pain? It _burned_...it _sickened_ me. Enough to bring me to my knees. I'd never felt like this before...

I tried to get up again, only to curl further into a ball as I leant against the air vent. It - It was like a hot knife was digging into my brain, my veins sizzling. I haven't felt this kind of pain ever since Shredder electro-shocked me. It _burned._ It _hurts!_

Make it stop! Make it _stop!_

 _Please..._

* * *

Leo ran across the rooftops, ocean blue eyes skimming them and the roads down at New York. He sighed exasperatedly, "Sneaky little kunoichi." he hissed testily to himself, looking some kind of lost kid in a grocery store, searching for his mommy.

Only Leo was looking for Jewel...his...friend/girl who he had a secret crush on...?

After an hour of spending time with Karai - who attempted to persuade him into stealing a sword - and fighting off Snakeweed with Raph - who sorta apologized and reestablished him as the leader - and waking up Mikey with pizza - he'll be fine - Splinter had asked him to go and search for Jewel since it was getting late and she hasn't returned.

Apparently, Jewel had lost her temper and shouted at Raph, punching him and almost choking him to death, and ran off to go do some fashion show. After a few more hours - it's almost midnight - he and the others were getting worried.

But he pushed that aside. Jewel's fine. She should be fine. Jewel was too stubborn to die by the hands of... _anyone_.

His eyes widened when he spotted a certain kunoichi/mercenary/model. He spotted her two blocks away, and he skidded to a stop. He let out a sigh of relief. Jewel was there, and she seemed to be alright...

Wait a minute...was she... _crying_?

His eyes widened further, and without any hesitation, he leapt from building to building until he was only meters away from her. He paused, and he could discreetly hear a whimper spewing from her. Taking a shaky breath, he ran the rest of the distance between them and knelt by her side, ocean blue orbs filled with unmasked worry, "Jewel?! Jewel, what's wrong? Talk to me." he said, laying a hand on her back.

Jewel meekly lifted up her head to meet her gaze with Leo's, tear streaks staining her cheeks, blood slowly trickling down her nose. Her eyes were glazed in pain. She seemed to be struggling to say anything but she finally stuttered, "H-help me!" she screamed, her hands grasping the straps of his swords, yanking him back and forth, "I-it hurts! _It hurts!_ " she sobbed, smoke emitting from her, triggering her powers slightly.

Leo's brow knitted together, eyes swirled with confusion, "What are you talking about? What hurts?" he asked worriedly. She didn't look injured or anything.

A shrill scream erupted from her throat, tears falling like a waterfall, splattering onto the ground, evaporating into smoke. "It hurts! **_It hurts!_** Something's not right!" she screamed, shaking violently. Leo took his hands in hers, holding them tight as she continued to sob. He shook his head, "I don't understand. Where are you hurt? Do you need me to call Donnie?"

She screamed again, startling him slightly. He was getting worried by the second. His hands felt warm...and starting stinging due to the fire triggering her emotions. " _Please!_ Please help me! I think I'm _dying!_ " she sobbed helplessly, fire igniting on her arms. She shook her head, "Make it stop! Make it stop! _Make. It._ **_STOP!"_** she squealed painfully, her voice raw and hoarse it made his own throat hurt.

Fire started igniting softly on her hands, like a small campfire in the woods, and Leo had to bite back a scream as it ruthlessly burned his scaly palm. Goosebumps traveled up his arms, unsure of what to do.

Jewel bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut, shaking her head, _"Please..."_ she sobbed quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, sounding like a broken child.

At that moment, Leo's heart broke for this girl. He had never seen Jewel like this before. Sure, Leo had seen tears of laughter before, and that 'incident' back in the lair...but this was something else entirely. Jewel was strong for someone her age who had gone through so much. He and his brothers and Splinter had admired her for that strength.

But seeing her like this...so fragile, so broken, and so _lost_...it tore his heart into pieces. It scared Leo seeing her like this. And it angered him. No - it _infuriated_ him that someone would do this for the girl he truly cared about.

He couldn't take it anymore. Shaking his head, Leo threw his strong arms around her, bringing the sobbing girl close as she held her head in pain, screaming at the top of her lungs, but he didn't care. Leo brought up a slightly burnt hand to stroke her back in soothing circles, the same way Splinter had done for him and his brothers, letting her cry helplessly into his shoulder as she screamed.

It hurt him inside that this was all he could do for her. He wished he could do more. Find out what the source of her pain was. But in the end, he supposed that in a sense, he was kinda helping her. Just by being there and letting her know he would _never_ leave her. That he will _always_ be her friend.

And maybe, someday, if the time was right...become something more...

* * *

Jewel's head hurt. It _hurt!_ She wanted it all to stop. Make it **_stop!_**

She knew she was screaming, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Her throat hurt from all the screaming and sobbing.

Flashes of memories bored into her mind.

Her fathers bright, full of life eyes now a blank stare.

The blood spewing out from her first victim's body.

Shredder's cruel face as he electro-shocked her.

Swirls of colors.

The bloody battle between her and Shredder.

Barely escaping with her life.

The heartbreak in her former coach's eyes as she resigned from gymnastics.

Psychopath.

It all **_hurt!_** Her head hurt the worst!

She could vaguely make out Leonardo running up to her, asking her if she was alright, face painted in worry; asking her what's wrong.

All she could do was scream. Scream and sob her lungs out. Hot tear streaks rolled down her cheeks, evaporating into nothing but smoke. Leo, the hero he was, held her in his strong arms, softly stroking her back with gentle hands, despite them being slightly burnt thanks to her.

His warm, soft and scaly arms felt so soothing and warm against hers. She finally, _finally_ managed to calm herself down, reducing to little hiccups. She lifted her head to meet Leonardo's warm and serene ocean blue orbs, smiling gently down at her with understanding, "It's okay, Jewel. I got you. I won't leave you." he softly whispered.

Despite herself, she smiled weakly through her falling tears, and it was then and there realization had dawned on her like a pile of bricks.

She had always liked Leo...but...this felt... _different_...

After months of confused and muddled feelings about the blue clad turtle...things here and now _changed_.

Jewel wasn't the _master_ of romance, but she did know how to be charming and flirtatious with a boy when she wanted to. She had always locked up her feelings and never let any such feeling of _love_ or a _crush_ enter her heart. She was too busy and it would be too hard for a boy to keep up with her. She was a mercenary kunoichi, and she refused to let any boy spill their pretty little charm and boyish nature fall all around her. To her, boys were a distraction. But with Leo...it felt genuine.

Every single wall she had built around her heart all but crumbled by the sheer warmth of Leo's body against hers, the sweet smile shining down at her like the moonlight.

She didn't know what the exact feeling was. But for a moment, and just _only_ a moment, she welcomed it.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay...well...this was WAY longer than I expected it to be. Sorry about that. Hoped you liked it.**

 **Oh, and now you know who the OC's were. Amy Smith and Lily from I Meet The Turtles! These are Angelxoxo8's OC's. I hoped you liked it all.**

 **And yes: Karai and Jewel have the same makeup style, but Jewel's is pink and red/pink. And they have similar earrings on their ears. But Jewel has studs and one silver eyebrow earring. Just wanted to make that clear.**

 **Bye!**


	16. The Alien Agenda

**A/N: Wow, another early update! What were the odds. Told ya guys I had a lot of free time now. Plus I also had a few planned scenes for this chapter and a bunch of other ones for the next few episodes. So expect A LOT of early updates. But I'm not ignoring my other stories like the Clara's drabble and Spidey and the Avengers. I'm still working on those. Anyway, we have a brand new OC in this chapter. And this is the LAST OC for this season of the story. I may add a few more for the sequels but not now. There's too many to count. And this OC was created by one of my few best friends, Hermana Kunoichi!**

 **Here's his bio:**

 **Samuel (Sam) Connors**

 **Age: 17**

 **Appearance: Dark brown eyes and skin, blue/black hair shaved at the sides with a high forelock on the top. He has a scar (similar from to Scar's from the Lion King), and knife and burn scars all over his body. Some are also wild animal bites.**

 **Clothes: Brown hunter boots rising up to his calf, brown pants with a black leather belt and a strap on his thigh that carries a razor sharp dagger. He also wears a white ripped and worn out shirt with dirt stains under a black vest, though he has a bullet belt under it. At the sides of his belt, he has a red laser gun (like from Laser Tag games) and a pair of twin kamas. Also has black biker fingerless gloves with metal studs.**

 **Personality: He's obstinate, hot headed, and a little prankster. He mostly laughs at everything that's worth laughing at. But if he sees Leo smiling stupidly (as he'd say) at Jewel, he wouldn't hesitate throwing a blast of his gun at Leo where the sun won't ever shine.**

 **Powers: Electrokinesis and the ability to absorb materials.**

 **History: He never knew where or how he was born until he was found by a famous Indonesian bounty hunter, who raised him as his own. When he died, Sam took care of himself, until he arrived to New York, and offered Shredder to work for him. Since Bradford and Xever couldn't do their job of destroying the turtles and capturing Jewel themselves, Shredder contacted Sam to do their job as a bounty hunter.**

 **And that's all their is to Sam! Hope you guys like him and this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

As a kunoichi who used to stand within the highest ranks of the Foot Clan, and a currently high-ranking mercenary who could shoot you without breaking a nail, I was pretty confident in the multitude of skills I'd acquired. My father taught me the best and fastest way to snap a guy's neck, but also how to pick up a few hints that told me what others were thinking _and_ feeling.

As humans, we're naturally expressive, right? That's what I thought. It was kinda basic knowledge that way more was spoken through body language and facial expressions than actually talking. For a warrior such as myself, it was pretty easy enough to tell me exactly what my opponent was planning to do next.

If any of my rivals showed any signs of cockiness, fear, or anger...well, let's just say I could use it to my own advantage.

In my opinion, emotions were nothing but a weakness. So, I did everything within my power to hide any emotions that paraded through me like a thunderstorm during any interrogation, sparring sessions, and focused on tearing my opponents down from the inside, using their own emotions against them.

 _No biggie._

However, why oh why, for the _love of god_ , couldn't I focus clearly while I sparred against my favorite leader-in-blue a few minutes just before patrol?

Lately...I've been a little... _confused_ , I guess, about Leo. He was sweet, nice, and pretty dorky for someone who could look intimidating if he wanted to. He's the type of guy lots of girls would go out with. Well, girls with _actual_ personalities who aren't shallow brats.

He's adorable. An idiot...but adorable.

And...maybe I _do_ like him...

But do I want to become something _more_? Do I want to get into a _relationship_ with him?

Do I want to be _more_ than his friend?

 _Ugh!_ No time for that. First things first: Beat him at his own game.

 ** _"GYAH!"_**

I flipped Leo off his feet, lying flat on his shell with me straddling him, one arm pinning him across his chest and the other raised, clenched into a tight fist, ready to swing down and strike him in his pretty lil' squishy face.

Leo blinked rapidly as he stared up at my smirking face in slight shock.

After all, _I_ had been the one who was partly distracted.

"Pinned ya." I teased, lowering my fist as I smiled conceitedly down at his stricken face. He did nothing but scowl up at me. And no, he's not gonna hear the end of this for a long, _long_ time. A month, tops. "Jewel, let me up," he barked irritably.

With a smirk, I slid off of him obediently, folding my arms over my chest as I turned on my heel to walk away -

Something pounced on my back with a shout before the two of us (I presume) rolled along the dojo carpet as we wrestled on the floor. I hissed testily at Leo as he tried to put me in a headlock. Great. Now we're wrestling and tussling on the ground like cubs or pups would do.

I found myself hitting the ground flat on my back with a mutant turtle smirking down at me, hands firmly grasping my shoulders, keeping me pinned down. My, how the roles have reversed. His smirk grew wider than ever before as he raised a nonexistent brow at me, "Pinned ya, _Fire_ Girl." he snickered, "A little off our game today, Julie?" he asked teasingly, his grin broadening.

Great, now it's _my_ turn to be embarrassed. I scowled up at the smug turtle, cheeks flushing pink. I growled, "Lucky shot." I snapped. A wicked gleam crossed his ocean blue eyes, "Or maybe I'm just _that_ good. Maybe _better_ than you." he teased in that stupid, flashy grin.

I rolled my eyes skyward with a huff, jeering, "Hardy har har, very _funny_ , Lion Boy. Let me up."

"And why would I do that?"

A murderous smile pulled upwards, "Because if you don't, you might lose a pair of legs." I threaten, my voice soft and menacing.

Lion Boy just rolled his eyes, huffing and smirking down at me, " _Pfft._ Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Jewel. We both know you wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm just _too_ good for you." he teased again.

I chuckle dryly, "You're _adorable_ , Lion Boy. _Stupid_ , but adorable."

That smirk was wiped off his face, replaced with a bright smile and flattered sparkle in his eyes, "Wait, really? You - You think I'm - _WAAUGH!"_

I shoved him off of me, standing up with a roll of my eyes and a tolerant smile. Folding my arms over my chest, I look at Lion Boy, who's propping himself by his elbows, giving me one of his sheepish, boyish smile. Despite myself, I smile, albeit affectionately, with a fond roll of my eyes, restraining the urge to giggle.

 _Boys._

* * *

 _"I'm guessing your favorite color is black then, right? Or is it pink?"_

 _"Both. My dad said they both suit me because they represent aspects of my personality."_

 _"Really now? Like what?"_

 _"Well, the aspects of pink are sweet, playful, cute, charming, feminine, and tenderness. And it represents my love for some stuff or something like that. And I am definitely all of those."_

 _"What about for black?"_

 _"Well, I'm mysterious, elegant, and a trouble maker. Plus," a sly smirk formed on her lips, "I_ hate _parties."_

 _"Huh. I guess those colors do suit you."_

 _Both girls - Jewel and Karai - laid down underneath the sakura tree, looking up at the clear blue skies and puffy, fluffy clouds that moved slowly above their heads. They had started asking each other trivial matters; such as what their favorite food was or what they liked to do to pass time. To both girls surprise, they liked to do almost the same stuff; practicing katas and pranking on a few poor victims._

 _Karai was also shocked to know Jewel was also training to be a kunoichi like her. For someone who could be sweet but devilish, she sure knew how to surprise someone. Karai didn't know much about Jewel, but she knew all about her father. Everyone who was a ninja warrior like her knew who Akio King was._

 _But they didn't know he had a_ daughter _._

 _Karai knew a few details about the man. He was an elite ninja, one of the best fighters she knew, rivaling even her father, and he could slit a man's throat with his hands binded. She knew he was a doctor, one of the best in Tokyo. Her father had even told he had a wife, who sadly died a few years ago._

 _When her father told her that they were going to meet the man, Karai was beyond excited. Akio King was surprisingly nice for a trained and experienced ninja, eyes bright and smile warm. And when he had ushered her to a room, she was really surprised at what she saw._

 _She saw a girl who looked about a year younger than her sitting on a velvety pink/black bed, drawing in some book. She was pretty, but she looked kinda dangerous with the multiple earrings lodged in her ears, and one eyebrow earring on each eyebrow with a stud. Her skin was coffee brown, hair dark as a raven, and piercing royal blue eyes._

 _Her clothing consisted mostly of black and lace, lips a midnight color. When the girl lifted up her head to meet Karai's gaze, dark blue orbs piercing through her golden browns, Karai almost shuddered._

 _However, the more she got to know Jewel, the more she had found herself liking her. At first, Jewel seemed guarded, skeptic, and pretty snippy...but after she warmed up to Karai, she was sweet, witty, and sarcastic._

 _Karai had thought Jewel could be a pretty cool friend. Although she was a_ bit _jealous Jewel had started her training a year earlier than Karai had._

 _"Y'know Julie," she began as she turned on her side to look at Jewel, "You sound like the kind of girl everybody would be scared of."_

 _Jewel quirked a brow as she looked at her, "I'm not_ that _scary. But..." she bit her bottom lip, "...You're pretty cool and scary, yourself. And I wouldn't_ totally _hate it if we were friends or whatever." she suggested with an awkward shrug._

 _Karai had to chuckle at that, nodding, "Okay. Then let's do it!"_

 _"Let's do what?"_

 _"Be friends! Partners in Crime! Besties or something like that! Wanna shake on it?" she outstretched her hand, both of them sitting up. Karai smiled from ear to ear._

 _Jewel raised an eyebrow for a second, shrugging to herself, shaking Karai's hand with a firm grip, chuckling._

 _"Sure. Why not?"_

* * *

"Aw, the mermaid's growing legs!"

Bradford's loud jest was aimed at the giant mutant fish-out-of-water, currently surrounded by metal parts and various tools that one simple minded fool could barely identify. Xever was supported upright by a pair of long, two toed metallic legs with a brace around his middle (waist, maybe?). On his back was a large orange colored plastic tank filled with clear bubbling water, equipped with pumps attached to the mutant fish's gills in order to keep him breathing above water.

" _Please!_ Settle down!" Baxter snapped at him, silencing the mutant canine. Bradford merely harrumphed; he didn't really have to take the wimpy genius seriously.

Baxter looked up at Xever, who seemed a little unsteady on his new 'legs'. "Xever...get ready to walk!" he said confidently with an enthusiastic smile as the scientist picked up some remote controller. Xever didn't seem all that excited, less actually, more nervous. And the mutt's smirk didn't help much; just made him wanted to punch his 'rich boy' face off.

Baxter switched on the mechanism controlling the legs with a click. The thief took in a deep, calming breath. Lights beeping, Xever steadily put his right foot forwards. And then the other foot. And the other foot -

The right leg of the machine froze mid-step, jerking violently back and forth...before both legs began to move to their accord, propelling themselves forward at running speed and taking the poor fish mutant with them. Not even Baxter could control them anymore.

" ** _WAAAGH!_** _No no no no no no!_ " the fish shouted out in shock and slight fear as his legs went bonkers, slamming him against the wall with a loud crack that had Baxter wincing in sympathy. Dogpound was grinning from ear to ear, the urge to laugh out loud growing stronger as he watched Xever scamper about.

The legs swiveled back around again, sending Xever unwillingly sprinting towards the stairs beneath Shredder's throne.

Losing his pointless battle, Bradford began to laugh almost hysterically, clutching a paw to his stomach, a few tears slipping out. The robotic legs kicked the air helplessly, and Xever glared burning holes at bumbling scientist, "Fix this, or I will _bite your head off!"_ he threatened with a grunt as a foot kicked him the face.

Wide eyed, annoyed his invention didn't work (there was that _one_ piece missing!), Baxter fumbled around with the controls, managing to switch the legs off. The metallic appendages whirred to a halt, Xever sighing in relief as Bradford chuckled.

 ** _"Baxter Stockman!"_**

The scientist nearly jumped out of his skin with a yelp at the sound of Shredder's deep and foreboding voice as he spun around, "Mr. Shredder!" he cried as he gazed up at the imposing armored figure, glowering down at him coldly, eyes burning holes. "Uh...h-how _long_ have you been standing there?" he quivered with a slight wince.

The armored clad ninja master narrowed his discolored eyes darkly, unamused, "Long enough to witness your failure," he rebuked with a low growl, "My patience is wearing thin."

Beneath the searing gaze of the Shredder, the scientist shakily nodded his head. "Y-yes sir," he stuttered, "it's just, the controlling mechanism is proving trickier -"

 ** _"Enough!"_**

Baxter almost dropped the controls from his shock at the tone of Shredder's bark. "If he is not walking soon...you won't be _either._ I will give you _one_ more chance, and then I'll -"

"Father."

Shredder's threat was rudely cut off by Karai, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She entered the throne room and strode purposefully towards her flesh in blood of a father. She slipped off her face as Shredder turned his back on Baxter as he regarded with an expected gleam.

"We spotted the turtles and their friend fighting some guys in suits," she started to explain, "but they were actually...slimy _brain squids_ in _robot bodies_!"

It was surreal and interesting. Karai had seen _many_ things. But squid brains in robot bodies; that was something else entirely. And after her little meeting with Leonardo (who was _kinda_ cute, she would admit), she immediately assumed the turtles were good guys. And if they were fighting against those squid brains, it could obviously mean trouble.

Something was going on...and Karai was going to find out what.

Shredder narrowed his eyes darkly at his daughter, "Your mission is to destroy them, capture Julia, and find Splinter. Everything else is a **_distraction!_** " he snapped. Karai's face twisted into confused disgust, _"Distraction?"_ she repeated, appalled.

"Father, don't you wanna know what's going on? Robots and creatures? Splinters' disciples are turtles - _mutants!_ One of your former followers can light herself on fire and is working alongside them! Your own men got turned into hideous _freaks!"_ she yelled defiantly, glaring. She folded her arms over her chest stubbornly, "Don't you think we should be finding out what's going on? I mean, there's _more_ to life than your vendetta."

Her father narrowed his eyes into angry slits, "There is _nothing_ more!" he disagreed, and for a moment, Karai flinched, stiffening. He walked around Karai, who visibly relaxed her shoulders, laying a hand on her shoulder, "Have you forgotten what Hamato Yoshi did to me?" he probed darkly, meeting her to her eyes. "To _us?_ "

Karai bit her lip, eyes averting from Shredder's piercing gaze, looking down at the floor.

How _could_ she forget? Hamato Yoshi ruined her life. If it wasn't for him...she would have a mother. And now...he manipulated the only friend she ever had back in Japan. And Jewel was the only one who really understood her. She never got to know her mother because of _him_.

Releasing her shoulder, Shredder took a step back as Karai forced her sorrowful gaze back up at him. "Every day that Splinter lives is a stain on our honor that we must wipe clean," he said as Karai looked back down, "Stay focused on your mission, Karai." he demanded softly as he landed his hand back on her shoulder for a second.

The kunoichi remained silent for a moment, contemplating her father's words. A second later, a determined frown appeared on her features as she nodded her head once. However, before she could say anything, Shredder narrowed his discolored eyes.

"...And to make sure you will _not_ make another mistake...I am assigning you a new partner." he said, releasing her shoulder again. Karai rose an eyebrow. "New partner?" she mirrored, cocking her head slightly.

As if on cue, the doors flew open, Karai whirling around. From there, a boy around the age of 17 walked in. He had dark brown eyes and dark skin, blue/black hair shaved at the sides, a high forelock on top. He had a scar over his right eye, like a slice of a knife. Brown hunter boots adorned his feet, rising up to his calf, brown pants with a black leather belt and a strap on his thigh, carrying a razor sharp dagger.

Complimenting his muscular frame, was a torn and worn white shirt with dirt stains under a black vest, a bullet belt under it and fingerless black biker gloves, complimented with metal studs. He had a laser gun and a pair of twin kamas at the sides of his belt.

He walked confidently up to Shredder, which was out of place in the Foot Clan, bowed respectfully to his knees. Shredder regarded him with cold indifference, tearing his gaze back to Karai, who stared distantly at the boy.

"His name is Samuel Connors. And from this point on, he will help you hunt down the turtles and Julia." he ordered, daring her to argue. " ** _Help_** me?!" Karai growled, glaring disapprovingly at her father. She didn't need a partner, he could get in her way! Besides, she could take down the turtles and capture Jewel on her **_own!_**

"Is it necessary for him to repeat it, _Punk Girl?_ " Samuel probed sarcastically, raising an unimpressed brow. Karai's glare hardened, "I don't need Manuel, or _whatever_ his name is, to help me! I can take down the turtles and capture Jewel _on my own!_ " she snarled, jabbing a thumb to her own chest.

Samuel stood up, glaring at the kunoichi, placing a hand on his hip in a nonchalant way, "First off: the name's Sam. Second: if you could take them all down on your own, which I _highly_ doubt since you couldn't take down _one_ , you wouldn't need me, _would_ you?" he retorted huffily.

Karai glared daggers at him, him returning the gesture. _"Enough!"_ Shredder barked, the two teens meeting his glowering gaze, "I do not care if you do not like each other or your if you do not want to work together, you _will._ " he seethed. "Am I clear?"

Karai sent one last glare Sam's way, before saying a, "Yes, father." She slipped back on her mask, walking away, Sam following as he nodded once at Shredder, cracking the joints in his neck. "Let's hunt some turtles." he declared coolly as they both left the throne roon, into the bustle of New York.

* * *

"I just spotted Leonardo and Julia a few blocks away. You go for Jewel and I'll go for Leonardo. Got it?"

Sam nodded, "Crystal." he replied with a smooth smile that could melt a girl's heart...well, except for Karai. "But I gotta ask. What's with this 'Jewel' girl Shredder wants to capture so badly?" he asked with a questioning brow.

Karai stiffened for a second, shaking out of it as quickly as it had come, shrugging one shoulder, "She used to work in the Foot Clan with her dad. Both were assassins. She was the highest ranking kunoichi in the clan. But," she faltered for a second. The memory of Jewel's face punching into betrayed rage burning in her brain. Karai shook her head; the past was past. "...my father sorta electroshocked her brain. And she escaped."

Sam nodded slowly, drinking in the words for a minute. And then he smirked, "So," he pretended to examine his hand with a taunting smirk, "she was a better ninja than _you_ then, huh?" he probed knowingly. Karai whipped her head at him, her amber eyes boring into his, but he didn't seemed to be fazed by it at all.

Growling, she bristled, "Just go follow Jewel!" she snapped, leaping away rooftop to rooftop away from him, never answering his question. Sam scoffed into the air with a smirk. "Well that answers my question."

Sam ran along the rooftops, chocolate orbs skimming the roofs for any sign of a certain girl with fire powers. After a few minutes, he drew to a halt, scratching his head in confusion, "Where is she?" he whispered to himself. Seriously, how could finding someone who can light themselves on fire be that _hard -?_

"Y'know, it's not very nice to stalk someone without at least giving them a warning."

His breath hitched in his throat, whirling around in a defensive crouch. And he was shocked by what he saw.

On her feet were a pair of thigh-high black leather boots graced with heels, connected to long, slender legs covered in tight, black leather jeans, enhancing every amazing curve in her body, her upper body covered in a fitted pink top paired with a black cropped leather jacket, her hands adorned in black fingerless gloves.

Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail, decorated in pink and blue tiger stripes. But what struck Sam the most was her face. In all of his seventeen years of living, he had _never_ seen such a _beautiful_ face. From her dark, royal blue _glimmering_ eyes to her angular features. To sum it all up, she was nothing short of model material.

He faltered, jaw hung, eyes wide. The girl had her arms folded over her chest in a casual manner, the bottom half of her face hidden by a black mask similar to Karai's. Her eyes fluttered in amusement, like she was expecting this kind of reaction - which made sense.

"Um...I'm assuming you're Jewel...?" he asked stupidly, mentally slapping himself.

 _Seriously, Sam?! That's the best you got?! Of course that's Jewel, you freaking moron!_

To his surprise, Jewel hummed in confusion, tapping a finger thoughtfully to her chin, eyes narrowed in thought, the gears grinding in her head. And the girl shrugged one shoulder coolly, "I should hope so. Why else would I answer to the name?" she quipped with a teasing sparkle in her eyes.

Without helping himself, Sam chuckled, "I'll bet," and his smooth and daring facade returning, her smirked, "Y'know, you're not what I nearly expected. I thought I was gonna deal with some _disgusting_ lunatic."

Jewel placed a hand to her chest in a mocking way, pretending to be hurt, a fake gasp escaping her lips, "Well thank _goodness_ I'm _just_ a lunatic! I don't think I could _bear_ the thought of looking like some," she tilted her head, pretending to be puzzled, "troll! That would just be _disgusting_."

"Agreed."

"Well, enough of this little chit chat." Jewel's face suddenly went blank with her eyes narrowed blankly, folding her arms over her chest, like she was sulking grumpily, "Do you want something?" Jewel asked Sam coolly.

If Sam said he wasn't taken aback, he was lying. At first glance, Jewel looked like the 'pretty rebellious punk girl'. And then she seemed more carefree and sarcastic. And now she seemed pretty cold and a little grumpy. This girl was a storm of surprises. And for a second, he wondered if Karai had copied her makeup but - with no pink.

Nevertheless, he snorted, "Yeah. To dance." he replied sarcastically, looking at her expectantly. Jewel's face twisted in confusion, _"Seriously?"_ she droned. Sam rolled his eyes amusingly, "Well, I didn't mean the _air_." he said, waving his hands around a little. Jewel raised an unimpressed eyebrow, narrowing her eyes in skepticism, "I'm not really a dancer," she excused lamely, turning her nose up in a dignified and stubborn manner.

"I can show you," Sam said with a smooth smile. Jewel shrugged carelessly, "Nah. I'd rather do **_this!"_**

And without warning, the kunoichi shoved her knee into Sam's stomach, the head-butted him hard, causing the bounty hunter to fall backwards and land on his back. Jewel planted a foot to his chest to pin him down, and brought her short sword (out of nowhere, he would like to say) to his neck. Sam's eyes widened a fraction, reflexes allowing him to grab her hands as he struggled against her to keep the sharp blade from piercing his throat.

Slowly, she had already begun to overpower him, her strength surprisingly tight and...well, _strong_. Jewel looked at him straight in the eye, smirking coldly down upon him behind her mask, "For the record, I _hate_ dancing. It's a waste of time and talent."

Sam had give her credit. She was good. _Really_ good. He didn't know much about female ninjas. Just that they were the 'masters of deception'. And Jewel sure lied to him without really lying to him.

 _...wow..._

Grunting, he whipped his head left and right, and his eyes drifted to the concrete ground of the roof. He looked at the girl straight in the eye, smirking. She raised a questioning brow before a concrete met her face. She bit back a yelp, stumbling backwards as Sam pinned her to a wall, a kama under her chin, lifting up her head.

"Alright, princess! We're gonna do this _my_ way. And you're gonna tell me where the turtles and Splinter are and come with us in a calm manner. No fighting, got it?" he barked at her, his hold tightening. Jewel stared at him blankly for a few seconds, brows raised, unimpressed. "No." she deadpanned, stomping her foot hard on his.

He cried out in pain, gritting his teeth. Chocolate brown eyes widened to the size of saucers, and with a small squawk, he ducked to the side as a fireball flew at him, nearly melting his nose off. _"Whoa!"_ he shouted as he flipped backwards, landing in a crouch, looking incredulously at Jewel. "Those things coming out of you?"

Tightening her hold on her sword, she cocked her head to the side for a second, shrugging, placing the top half of her mask on her face, her eyes the only thing visible, "Eh. More or less." and she ran towards him with her tanto raised above her head with a yell.

And the two locked into combat. Metal rang and clanged in the nighttime air. Sharp and violent strikes and kicks were bartered in the blink of an eye as the two warriors fought. When the blade of a tanto sword met with a kama, Jewel suddenly asked, "So was that your fist when you landed a pretty good hit on me earlier? Because it looked like concrete for a second."

Sam's arms trembled with effort as Jewel started to gain the upper hand. He raised a brow, bewildered, "What?" he grunted through clenched teeth, "You saw that?" His answer came as a nod of the head once. "Oh. Didn't think you saw that. Well if you must know I can absorb things when I touch things. But only if I concentrate."

"Cool." came as his reply as the kunoichi/mercenary shoved him with a spinning kick. He flipped it off and brought a kama to his face when the girl leapt in the air to deliver a devastating blow. Metal rang in the air once again as he attempted to block some of her blows, getting a few of his own. "Seriously? _'Cool'?_ That's _all_ I get." he asked bemusedly, a little offended. _Aw, come on! Absorbing things was cool!_

"I live with _mutants_ and I can light myself on _fire_. What'd you expect?" she asked matter-of-factly, like she was used to people asking her this. Sam stared at her for a few seconds, and she literally swept him off his feet. She planted a foot on his chest and he grunted in slight pain, covered in a few scrapes, bruises, and cuts.

Out of instinct, a ball of electricity rushed through his palms, and he blasted it at the female mercenary, throwing her off of him with a yell. She flipped and twirled gracefully, landing on one knee before shooting herself up, narrowing her eyes slowly. "So," she tilted her head, nodding, " _that's_ how we're gonna play it?"

Before he could ask or say anything, her slender build barreled into him in a literal blur. The world was mesh of colors and spots as she slammed his body hard into a brick wall, coughs wracking through him. He stared at the beautiful kunoichi, wide eyed. She had **_super speed?!_**

Balls of fire were thrown at him. Sam flipped and dodged a few of them, one whizzing past his arm, and he cried out in slight pain. He looked at his arm; nothing too bad like all the others, but too close. Narrowing his eyes stubbornly, he threw electric balls at her, Jewel speed ducking (was that a thing?).

"Y'know, Julie," he said casually as he blasted a laser from his gun at her, her flipping to the side from it. "I think you're looking for a way back into the Foot and out of the Hamato Clan." he dodged another ball of fire, throwing a dagger, which was melted. "And I can totally help you with that."

It wasn't a _terrible_ idea. She had impressive skills. And the Foot needed more soldiers like her. Plus, _maybe_ they could go out for a hamburger. Like a date -

A fist connected with his jaw. **_Hard._** And he flew backwards, skidding to a stop. He blinked a few stars out of his vision, dazed. And then a dry (bitter?) chuckle was heard. "You're good, I'll give you that. You're cute. You're an idiot, but pretty cute."

Sam flipped himself back up, one hand ablaze in electricity, and he faltered with a flattered grin. "Seriously? You think I'm cu _**\- WHOA!"**_

A wave of blazes came his way, and he barely had enough time to dive out of the way as it melted a few walls and gates. He landed roughly on his stomach, scraping his chin with a wince. Propping himself on his elbows, he wiped some blood off his chin and looked at his palm.

Snapping his eyes wide open, he jumped back to his feet, surprised that he saw no Jewel.

 _"Yoo hoo!"_

He looked back up at the sky, mouth agape as he stared at the girl lit on fire like it was the **_most natural thing in the world!_**

Her face a mystery, dark blue eyes glittering like the starry sky, she waved an ablaze palm at him. "What's your name?" she called down. Without really thinking, seeing her on fire without any shouts of pain, he answered, "Sam." he answered shakily, wide eyed. Behind her mask, she smirked, "Cool. Well I better take off. See ya later, Sammy!"

And he could hear a _'zwoooooop'_ in the distance, silencing after a few seconds.

Despite himself, he smiled, a little baffled, "See you,"

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

 _"Gotcha!"_

 _Ugh. Finally._ I thought it would take them _forever_ to notice we were being followed. Some ninjas they were...

Our heads snapped up to find that Raph caught Karai, pinning one of her arms behind her back as they both fell to the lower platform. I folded my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes skyward with a huff. No _wonder_ I was ranked _first_ before she was back in the Foot Clan. I just thought it was because I was a better fighter.

Leo, Donnie, and Mikey gawked comically up at them that I had to restrain a laugh. How did they _not_ notice she was following us? _"Karai?!"_ Leo shouts, bewildered with wide eyes. I narrow my eyes, raising a questioning brow. Wait a minute...how does he know who she is?

"Ka - **_Who?"_**

I saw Raph grin down conceitedly at Karai. Again, I roll my eyes. Looks like Shredder hadn't trained his so-called kunoichi of a daughter to manage to stay hidden from us very well. Wasn't she supposed to be the best at stealth? _Pfft._ Yeah right. "Bet you think you're pretty slick?" he mocked.

I saw Karai narrow her amber eyes up at him. She twisted his over sized green hand that held hers with a sickening crack. Raph let out a yelp of pain, and Karai took that moment of distraction to slide herself from underneath him, flipping him off her back and then stomped on his chest as she regarded him with cold eyes.

"I have my moments." she jeered down at him. I heard him growl ferociously. In the next instant, Raph flipped himself back onto his feet, Karai leaping backwards as he came at her with his Sais poised to strike. Metal rang and sang in the air as both collided, equally matched as they sent spinning punches and kicks at one another. Although it appeared that Karai was the only one who could actually land a hit on him.

"Raph, Karai! _Stop it!"_ Lion Boy yelled as he leapt up at the platform above us, leaving me, D, and Mikey down here. Okay, _seriously!_ How does he know her?!

Donnie narrowed his eyes, "Okay, what the heck is going on here?" he asked, turning his head to us, gesturing an arm to them, "How do they _know_ her?"

"Yeah, and how do _we_ know her?" Mikey pauses, turning his head to Donnie with a questioning brow and frown, "...wait. Do _we_ know her?" Donnie's eyes and mine flatten, and I slap a hand over my forehead. Calmly, I close my eyes, "No, Mikey. You do not know her." But I do.

I raised my hand, palms facing them, "I know her." Donnie's brows shoot up, looking at me expectantly.

 _"Yo Jewel!"_

I roll my eyes skyward, huffing. Abruptly, I turn around and throw a shuriken at Sam, who flips to the side. He lands in a low crouch, slowly rising to full height, smirking at me. Donnie's eyes bulge, _"Who the heck is he?!"_ he turns to me, baffled, "Okay, Jewel, _what_ is going on here? How do you know Karai and who. Is. **_He?!"_**

I roll my eyes, pinching the space between my brows, "Oh for god's sake, need I remind you that I was in the Foot Clan? I knew a lot of people there! Karai's a kunoichi like me - except I'm better - and that guy," I point to Sam, who was just staring at us amusingly with a raised brow and his muscular arms folded over his chest. "Is Sam! Shredder probably hired him to take us down."

Without waiting for a response, I run at breakneck speed at Sam, my fists on fire. He blocks me with his kama, and we lock into combat. I slip in my tanto and slice it at Sam with deadly precision. It cuts his upper chest, a little blood seeping through, but not enough to seriously hurt him.

I duck to the side, away from his fist and I spin on my heel, kicking him in the face. He shouts out in pain as he staggers backwards, and I use his momentary distraction as my advantage. I turn my back to him, raise my arms above my head, and with a grunt, I back flip in front of him. I wrap my legs around his neck, back flipping the both of us. He lands roughly on the ground while I land in a low crouch. I spin around and light my hand on fire.

He flips back up to his feet, and out of nowhere, he throws an electric beam at me. I side-flip out of the way. Suddenly, Sam creeps up behind me, and before I can react, he grabs both of my hands, like how cops put criminals in handcuffs. Good thing I have super strength. But _he_ doesn't know that.

I grunt, pretending to struggle, and I hear him chuckle behind me, "FYI: I don't like being called 'Sammy'." he says. I stretch my neck around a little to meet his gaze somewhat, "Just a heads up: I don't care." I say in a bored tone, eyes blank. "Oh, and before I forget,"

I pull my arm with his, elbowing him a few times before stomping his foot. He twirled out his kamas and locked them into my tanto sword. Metal rang loudly in the air as bartered swift kicks and blows. I tugged his kamas down and butted my head hard against his, sending him sprawling into the wall.

Flicking my short blade in one hand, I twirled and leapt with graceful precision back to Donnie and Mikey. I land with my knees slightly, grunting softly, before rising to full height. They both started, probably not expecting me. I fold my arms over my chest, shoulders lax, "So," I start off, Leo sliding in-between Raph and Karai with his katanas, blocking their weapons and pressing against them, arms trembling with effort.

I turn my head back to Don and Mikey, "...what'd I miss?" Mikey tears his gaze back at them, " _A lot_ of stuff, dudette."

"You're gonna set off -" Raph and Karai finally back away unexpectedly, causing Lion Boy to stumble backwards onto the control panel. His hand came to rest upon a button that sent alarms blaring loudly within the entire complex. Leo's eyes calmly close, and he drew in a single breath, "...one of _those._ " he stated with a sigh.

Donnie's and Mikey's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and I roll my eyes with groan, eyes flat as board, "Well...this plan officially failed miserably." I drone in a flat and dry tone. What a _great_ way to end a Friday...

"Nice going, Leo!" Raph snarled, pointing his Sais at him, "You're _protecting_ her? What is _wrong_ with you? She is _bad news._ " I raise an eyebrow. Why would Lion Boy protect Karai? She's in the Foot. Why would he protect someone in the Foot?

Leo glared hotly at him, _"No she's not!"_ he shouts defensively, waving his katanas a little. "Yeah. I _am_." Karai says, narrowing her eyes at Raph. I look back and forth between the three of them, raising a brow. Ugh, _enough_ of this chit chat!

 _"Okay!"_ I shout out of the blue, all of them turning their heads to me. Leo's eyes widen for some reason, like he forgot that me, Donnie, and Mikey were still here, and Karai's eyes brighten for a quick second before I glare at her with unmistakable venom in my eyes. "Do any of you wanna explain what's going on here? 'Cause I'm a little lost and I'm getting a little cranky."

Karai nods at me in greeting, "Good to see you, Jewel. Long time no see." I narrow my eyes, "Yeah, no one's talking to you, _Kira._ " I insult with an edge to my voice. Leo and Raph both raise a brow, looking at each other for a second with confused frowns.

The metal doors suddenly swished open to reveal dozens upon dozens of Kraang droids marching out one by one, carrying their guns as they started surrounding us. Out of nowhere, Sam flips beside Karai, swirling out his kamas. All of us regarded them with caution, eyes drifting back and forth, muscles taut. Out of the corner of my eye, D quickly reached up for his Bo staff.

"The ones who are not authorized by the authority of Kraang to exist in this place will now be destroyed by Kraang in this place," one announced in that stupid robotic monotone. I rolled my eyes, frustration boiling beyond belief, "Oh, for the love of _Pete_ , just say you're gonna destroy us!" I snap.

We all assumed a fighting stance, my fists lit up. Karai looks down at my hand with a nod of approval, "Whoa, nice trick." she complimented, trying to lighten the mood. I glare angry slits, "Wait til' I shove it down your throat." I say, my tone menacing and low. Sam turns to look at us and smirks.

Without using his arms, he back flips next to me, "Sup." he greets with a grin, nudging his shoulder to mine, a sign of greeting. Despite myself, I smile with a flat and amused gleam in my eyes, "This day just keeps getting _better and better,_ doesn't it?" I amused aloud, my voice singing with sarcasm.

Sam chuckled, "Meeting you... _totally_ makes up for it." he says with a smooth grin. I blink in mild surprise, oddly finding myself smirking back at him with a hint of satisfaction crossing through my face. I see Leo look at us for a second, raising a confused brow.

The Kraang open fire, and we charged head-on into battle. I saw Leo and Karai fight side-by-side, dodging laser fire and slicing their way through the robots with graceful ease. I frown deeply at them, brows pinching together. I feel something hot unravel in the pit of my chest, but...I can't figure out _what._

Leo blocks an electronic chainsaw with his swords, smiling, "Look. See? She's on our side. Her friend, too." Leo calls out. I roll my eyes, face twisting into confused disgust, a growl rumbling at the pit of my chest. Raph savagely impales a droid's head with the tip of his Sai, sending him a flat look. "Are you even _listening_ to yourself?" he droned.

I slice and fire my way through the robots, Sam electrifying them. Out of instinct (and a little rage), I slip my gun out, shooting an alien in the face, a bluish purple color splattering on some of my mask. "Yeah, and maybe later, we can all go out for _ice cream!_ " I call out in a fake chipper tone, like we were having a wonderful weather.

Leo turns his head at me confusedly, tilting his head with a frown, "Uh, are you okay, Jewel?" he asks me worriedly, slicing a Kraang gun in half. I huff, dashing past him and Raph, Sam sprinting next to me, "Sam's pretty cool, Leo!" I say as Sam and I neatly slice three oncoming droids in half, screaming blobs crawling away from the battle grounds.

I slice a Kraang droid from its' shoulder to its' hip, shooting the alien in the face. Behind my mask, I smirk shrewdly. "He's almost as entertaining as you were."

Sam smirks bemusedly, looking back and forth at us, "Thanks...I think." he says with a smile and a shake of his head. Beside Karai, dodging a series of laser beams, Leo raised a brow at me, "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Oh, when this is over I'll show Karai how entertaining I can be!" I hear Raph spit out.

More Kraang came running into the room, and with them was a large energy cannon, aiming it at us. Sam suddenly flipped away as Karai nodded to him. The rest of us stood together, weapons poised at them. They started cornering us with more of them heavily armed. "Kraang is now arriving to provide the help that has been requested by Kraang," one droid announced from on top of the machine as it began to whine to life.

 _"We're trapped!"_

* * *

" _Aww!_ He's so _cute_!" Mikey cooed, and Leo and I shared a look, bemused. I turn my head to Mikey, "I just don't know how to respond to you when you say stuff like that." I tell him, my tone flat and bemused.

Although he was quickly proven wrong when the creature suddenly grew, stretching to twice its original size as it opened its' mouth and roared loudly at all of us, long fangs and tentacles waving about wildly. Their eyes widened in terror, mine widening in surprise. What? I don't scare that easily.

Its' tentacles came down upon us, about to crush us to death. With combined yelps spewing out of the boys, we dart out of the way, just as the Kraang opened fire on the slimy thing. The thing only grew angrier as it started wreaking a frenzy havoc, thrashing and sending a bunch of droids flying one by one.

I gawked up at the sight, "Whoa! That is wicked!" I exclaimed. Next to me, Leo just stares at me in disbelief, " ** _Wicked?!_** Are you **_crazy?!_** " he barked. I smirk with a wicked gleam in my eyes, "You know me _too_ well, Lion Boy."

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

"Leonardo, you are not the first young man - or turtle - to make a fool of himself over a girl,"

Leonardo ducked his head down, contemplating his fathers' words. Discreetly, he glanced at Jewel, who was looking at him with a blank look in her eyes, like she'd rather be anywhere else but here. Whether she noticed him looking at her she didn't show.

Faintly, he smiled to himself. _I already make a fool over myself for another girl._ he thought to himself. He and his brothers were slightly injured from Justin (Mikey had came up with it for the lack of better name), Jewel simply super sped all over the place, using her fire powers to melt any of her injuries (lucky).

"What about Donnie?" Mikey pipes up. An immediate blush rushed to Donatello's cheeks as his face twisted into a glare as he swatted his younger brother's arm, earning a pained harrumph as Mikey gingerly rubbed his bicep, both turtles glaring at one another, Jewel rolling her eyes.

Splinter ignored both of his son's childish manner (amused in the inside), and calmly looked at his eldest, "However, when that girl is kunoichi in the employ of your enemy, that is an error you _cannot_ afford," he calmly and sternly advised, hands clasped behind his back. Splinter turned his head at Jewel, "Julia, do you have any idea who this 'Samuel' is?" he asked.

The girl blinked in mild surprise, not expecting for her name to be called, and it disappeared as quick as it had come, she shrugged one shoulder, "I'm gonna go with 'guy who was hired to destroy us'." she examined her nails before snapping her fingers, like she was just remembering something. "Oh, and he has powers. Something about absorbing things and shooting electricity."

Donnie regarded her with a scientific gaze and held his chin in one hand, nodding, "Fascinating," he muttered to himself.

Splinter turns his head back to Leo, "Deception is the ninja's _most_ powerful weapon - and like Julia, it seems Karai is a master."

Leo looked down, eyes narrowed, "I know. We can't trust her. I see that now." he said with a certain firmness to his voice that Jewel learned to love (not that she was ever going to admit it). Splinter landed a clawed hand on his shoulder, "Good. You must learn from your mistake." he said as he turned to walk away. Leo grinned toothily at his, eyes painted gratefully, "Thank you for understanding. I'm glad you're not mad."

Jewel smirked, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. _He never said he was never mad, Lion Boy..._

Splinter turned his head, frowning deeply with stern anger swimming in his eyes, whiskers twitching "Who says I'm not mad," and without warning (or before Leo could say anything), he jabbed his cane hard on his son's foot, earning a strained cry of pain from him. He walked away, smiling to himself in amusement. _They will never learn, will they?_

* * *

"Hey, bro," Raphael called as Leonardo made his way to the stairs, towards his bedroom. He walked up to him, unconsciously rubbing his bruised wrist (stupid kunoichi), "I'm glad you came to your senses." he said with a slight smile pulling upwards.

A light blush warmed up in Leo's cheeks, smiling sheepishly and rubbing a hand behind his neck, clearly he was not expecting that from Raphael of all people, "You were right," he confessed, "I don't know what I was thinking."

To his surprise, Raph only smirked, "Well, I can see how you'd think she's hot...in an _evil_ kind of way..." he smirked a little wider, "Like with Julie. Hot...in an evil, _crazy_ kind of way,"

Despite the slight unkindness in his comments, Leo couldn't help but laugh good naturedly at his brother, "Yeah. Well don't worry. I am _**so**_ over that."

Raph grinned at his older brother, patting him on the shoulder real quick before heading off to his own room, Leo smiling behind him.

However, as soon as Leo heard the door click, his smile dropped like a ton of rocks, gazing solemnly at the floor.

Leonardo wasn't gonna lie; how Karai betrayed them - _him_ \- still stung, like salt to a wound. But, despite everything she had done, _was_ he over her? Karai was fast, strong, and rebellious. And a pretty good fighter to spar with. It was almost as if she was made for him.

But...there was still Jewel. And Jewel was rebellious, fearless, and cunning. And she made another good fighter to spar with. And _he_ was a _challenge_ for her! She was the perfect girl for his type.

Not only that, both had thought he was _fun._ His brothers never said he was fun unless he let them did what they wanted.

He couldn't pick which girl he liked better. It was the most difficult decision for him to make.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice Jewel and Donnie walking up to him. "Hey, Leo? Can you come into my lab for a second, I just wanna look over that burn." he asked, his arm gesturing to the rather nasty burn Justin had inflicted on his arm. Leo blinked for a second, barely registering what he was saying before nodding; he wasn't gonna waste most of his time to argue.

"Well, I'm gonna head off to bed. Night, Brainy." Jewel said in her most casual tone, walking away, bumping her shoulder against Leo's a little _too_ hard. He staggered before catching himself, rubbing his shoulder; okay... _that_ hurt. He grunted softly, wondering if she had used her super strength.

She turned her head to him, facing him sideways, regarding him with cold indifference, "Whoops. Sorry, Lion Boy." she apologized as she walked away. However, he noted how her voice held a certain venomous edge to it, and how she could have easily avoided that little shoulder bump.

He curiously frowned at her retreating form, humming to himself, raising a questioning brow before following Donnie to his lab.

He sat on the cot, hands laid on his lap as Donnie gathered his medical supplies, taking a tub of cream; a burn cream he had made when they were younger, it was hardly ever used but now it came in handy considering they were living with a female torch.

He twisted the lid, pulling it off before setting it aside. He grabbed a clear glove and slid it over his hand, scooping a white, creamy goop of the burn medicine before asking Leo to hold out his arm, to which he reluctantly complied.

"I already checked on the others, including myself." he added as if he knew what Leo was thinking; they called him a genius for a reason. Leo nodded once, looking down at his lap. He still felt a little guilty for letting his brothers get hurt because of _his_ mistake.

The cream cooled and tickled his skin, and he took in a small breath of relief; okay, maybe his skin _did_ feel a little stingy from the burn. After the cream seemingly dissipated, Donnie dampened a rag with cold water, rubbing it against Leo's arm, when he suddenly spoke up, "You're not over _either_ of them, are you?"

Leo's head snapped up to meet his brother's eyes, blinking in surprise before registering what he said. He sighed hopelessly to himself, frowning, "No..." he whispered in a small voice, not really sure if Donnie had heard him.

Donnie nodded, his eyes understanding and sincere. He shrugged with a light smile, "Well, I wouldn't really blame you or anything. I mean, Karai and Jewel are pretty much alike. Heh, even their makeup and eyes look the same." he said with a small chuckle.

Despite the hopeless situation the poor turtle had gotten himself into, a ghost of a smile pulled upwards, "Huh. I guess that's true." he frowned again, "But..." his solemn gaze drifted to the floor, refusing to meet Donnie's gaze, "...I don't know which one I like more..."

Donnie frowned as he wrapped a gauze around his brother's forearm, "It _is_ a pretty hard choice to make, I guess." he finished wrapping the bright bandage, setting his medical bag away onto one of his shelves. He walked up back to his older brother, patting a hand to his shoulder. Donnie wished he could do more for his brother. He and his family _hated_ that look on his face; it wasn't the Leonardo they knew.

"But Leo," his older brother meekly met his eyes, "...maybe," he shrugged one shoulder, "maybe you should tell Jewel. Y'know, that you like her and all. And if she, I don't know, returns your feelings, then _maybe_ it'll make your decision a little easier." he suggested.

Leo bit his lip, contemplating his smart brother's words. True. Perhaps if he did tell Jewel that he liked her and if she liked him back...then it might make his decision easier. But one thing still pulled at his mind.

He turn his gaze back on Donnie, "...and if she doesn't?" he asked, albeit reluctantly, dreading the answer. Donnie frowned, blinking with an apologetic shrug, "Like I said, it'll make your decision easier."

* * *

 **A/N: Well this was pretty easy to write. Sorta. Hoped you guys liked it! And for those who are reading Spidey and the Avengers, I'm about to write it real soon. I should be done by the middle of July or maybe earlier than that. Next update will be soon. And Clara, I have not forgotten your request, I'm halfway done. Kinda.**

 **Well that's all I have to say! Please Read and Review! I love hearing about your opinions and I'll see you guys soon!**

 **Bye!**


	17. The Pulverizer

**A/N: Sorry this took a little long. You know me. Always late. Plus I was writing up Spidey and the Avengers, but now I am solely focused on this story. Promise. And boy, do we have a lot drama and action-packed scenes I wrote for Lewel. I hope you guys like it. Without further ado, I give you...the _Pulverizer!_**

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

It was late at night in this _stupid_ , grand city. Underneath the bustling streets and the _obnoxious_ loud, honking cars was the dark tunnels of this old, abandoned train station. Me, Mikey, Raph, and stupid, _unforgiving_ Lion Boy were sitting on the edge of the platform. We were all starting to get bored waiting for Donnie to show whatever he wanted to show.

I already knew what he was gonna show. He said it was a newly rebuilt version of the subway car Leatherhead let us use to escape from the Kraang. The power cell was powering the car and I remember Donnie blabbing about lead glass or something like that. I didn't pay attention...or cared all that much, if I'm being honest.

I was too fixated on my problem with Lion Boy. I'm still pretty peeved about him 'befriending' Karai, aka, the girl whose father **_electroshocked_** my brain and indirectly ruined my **_entire_** career of gymnastics.

Yeah. I'm _still_ mad about that.

So anyway, I _hate_ Karai. I hate her. I hate the Foot Soldiers. I hate Shredder's stupid dog...okay, the dog was cute. Oh, and I cannot stress this enough, I _freakin' **hate** Shredder_. I hate him so much, I would grab a gun, load it up, and _shove it up his -!_

"You okay?"

I blink my eyes open in surprise, drifting away from my thoughts. My brows crinkle together, my mouth set in an 'o'. I turn my head in Leo's direction, who's looking at me with a slightly worried expression. His head was tilted and he looked at me with a curious frown.

Inwardly, I was starting to melt.

Ugh. I _hate_ that I find that inexplicably adorable!

But I kept my stance firm, arms folded over my chest, my face a mystery of the soul...or something like that...

I raise an eyebrow, as if I was uninterested of the question (I was a little curious), and shrugged one shoulder, no care in the world, "Peachy," I answer with a coy smirk. _Yeesh._ Lion Boy can be such a worry boat sometimes...

Leo made a face, like I got the answer wrong or something. He shook his head, "That's not what I meant." he corrected. My brows shot up to my hairline, "It's not?"

"No." brows furrowed, frowning, ocean blue orbs pooling in confusion.

A coy, knowing smirk found its' way to my lips, "Then what _did_ you mean?" I ask him, acting like I knew what the question was supposed to mean. I don't.

An exasperated - but patient - sigh breathed through his lips. "I meant about the whole," he cranes his neck to look at Raph and Mikey, probably making sure they weren't listening in on this conversation. His eyes slid back to me, "the incident back in the rooftop. From three weeks ago." he explained in a hushed whisper.

 _Oh._ So that's what he wanted to talk about. I wasn't exactly sure what happened that night. All I remember was that everything was in a blur, my head hurt, and my nose stung. And the warmth sprouting all over Leo, absorbing me like a sponge.

I focus my attention back on Lion Boy, shrugging, "Not sure. I've felt a few headaches weeks before. Nothing _that_ serious, but I did have to take a few pills. But it's nothing to worry about." I tell him in a monotone voice.

Leo didn't seem to like this answer. He frowned deeply, like he didn't agree. "It _is_ something to worry about," he hissed. "You really freaked me out back there. I thought something happened to you. You were _screaming_ , Jewel."

I look at him in surprise, biting my lip. And then a scowl entered my face. Oh, so _now_ he worries about me. I thought he was too busy worrying about _Karai_ and all that nonsense. "So? That was just a one-time thing, Lion Boy. Don't get your shell in a twist." I huffed, fire in my eyes (and no, not literally).

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. I already told Donnie and Splinter what happened. And Donnie said he's gonna analyse you later, and you're gonna sit in his lab and _let_ him analyse you while Sensei makes you tea." I open my mouth to retort but he beats me to it with a face that dared to disobey him, "and that's a direct _order_ , Jewel. No arguments. Case closed."

I clench my jaws, teeth gritted, and I glare at him venomously, "You can't tell me what to do, Lion Boy." I hissed hotly. He looks away from me, staring back at the wall across from us, brows furrowed with a deep frown, "I think I just did."

I glare slits at him, a growl bubbling from my chest, my shoulders were starting to light on fire. Did he...did he just tell _what to do_? _Unacceptable!_ **_Nobody_** tells me what to do! He can't just talk to me like that, acting like he never hung out with my archenemy. I _won't_ be talked to like _that!_ Not like I'm some kind of...like some kind of... ** _like some kind of child!_**

After one last, hard glare sent his way, I tear my gaze off of his dumb face, burning holes at the tracks (and no, not literally. Although that would be kinda cool. Hmm. I should try that sometime).

Sitting on the edge of the tracks, next to a certain hot headed airhead, Mikey let out a long suffering sigh. "What's taking so long?" he droned, "Donnie knows I have a short atten - _ooh, gum!"_ I'm guessing his train of thought instantly switched since he found a piece of old, chewed up gum on the ground.

My nose scrunched up a bit when he went in for a bite, Raph slapping the disgusting candy out of his hand before he could take a bite. Huh. It kinda looked like a mother doing the same with her child. Noted.

I peek a glance at Leo, and just take it in for a split second. One leg was pulled up to his chest, an arm leaning on his knee pad, the other leg dangling uselessly from the platform, one hand braced firmly on the metal surface, eyes dull with a regular, bored out frown.

I tilt my head as I pursed my lips together. Huh. He actually...kinda looked...cute, in that position, I mean. Not that I find him cute all the time. I think.

I look away, biting the inside of my cheek, eyes troubled, eyebrows knitted together, frowning like I didn't know what to do.

Raph had his hands on his hips, "Man," he barked in annoyance, "this _better_ be worth it."

"Oh, trust me. It will."

And before he could ask me anything about what that means, something rattled against the tracks. It roared as it rode closer to where we sat, the three of them gawking in surprise when it finally came into view. And I smirked in all my smug glory.

Out came a large, converted subway car, painted in graffiti art from top to bottom. It was equipped with a long, retractable top-mounted garbage cannon, bumper-mounted crushing jaws at the front, and a sewer lid shooter. It was screeching with effort when it came to one of those dramatic halts before all of us. They all stood there like a couple (triple?) of idiots; slacked jaws and wide eyes.

" _Worth_ it." Raph said. I just grinned, "Well, _duh_."

The doors at the side opened with an elevator 'ding!' to reveal a very smug looking Donnie, who leant against the door with an elbow, _"So?"_ he asked them expectantly.

Lion Boy hopped off our perch and moved to stand beside a dumbstruck Raphael, "You turned Leatherhead's old subway car into _this_?" he asked, gesturing to it with a hand, and I can tell by his voice his expression is covered with surprise and a little bit of pride.

I see Raph looking up at him, "Donnie, have I ever told you how _awesome_ you are?" I chuckled, shaking my head fondly. I see Donnie grinning, "No you haven't."

"Well I am _seriously_ considering it."

I rolled my eyes, looking at the back of Raph's head, my expression obviously saying _'Really? That's the_ best _you got?'_

Mikey started wandering around the subway car and started to feel the vehicle like it was some kind of shiny, new toy. "What do you call this thing?" I hear Lion Boy as I whipped out my gun, loading it up with bullets. "Well," Donnie began to explain like an eager little kid, "It's a Transaxle, Multi-Armored, Electromagnetic -"

"The **_SHELLRAISER!"_**

My head sharply lifts up, and I frown curiously at Mikey. The Shell... _what?_

Mikey was standing proudly with his fingers all curled and stuff like that. The others raise an eyebrow, "What?" Donnie barked in confusion. I slip my gun back into my jacket and hopped off my perch, striding up to the guys.

"The _Shellraiser_!" Mikey repeated enthusiastically. "It's the _perfect_ name!"

I lean my elbow on Leo's shoulder, putting all my weight on one foot, the rest on Lion Boy. The guys and I share a blank look. "That _is_ the perfect name." Leo said bemusedly. I nod in total agreement. It _did_ kinda sound like a pretty cool name.

"Of course it is, bro! You guys always underestimate me - ooh, _gum!"_ he cried yet again, diving for the gross piece of gum again. I wrinkle my nose, making a quiet and disgusted sound. And _that's_ why we don't take Mikey seriously. Well...at least that's why _I_ don't take him seriously.

Donnie led us inside the subway car, letting them take a good look at the Shellraiser. From what Donnie told me, there were four stations for each of them; the driver's seat, some type of battle station, a map section, and a computer set-up at the back of the car.

Donnie sat down on the computer station and flipped a switch, and a flash of a neon purple covered the whole place, activating on all of the stations. The engine started up with a smooth purr, each of the guys exclaiming in awe. I just look like I'm bored. Which I kinda am.

Donnie turned to them all and began to explain, "Now, I've assigned everyone to a station based on your individual skill sets. I can't drive because my - oh, and Jewel's, she's our speed back-up - station's in the back, so -"'

 ** _"DRIVER!"_**

And the three of them raced towards the driver's seat, shoving and pushing one another in the process like a litter of quarreling kittens. And I smirk in amusement, arms folded over my chest. Really? Three trained, skilled ninjas, and they fight over a driver seat. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

Donnie stood up, Bo staff in his hand, and he gives me a look, as if to say, _'Are they kidding me?'_ All I really do is shrug with a lopsided smirk. What? I'm not a boy-whisperer.

He slapped his staff in front of them with a crack, silencing them all as D glared at them where they stood frozen in place. I quietly chuckle and take a seat on the computer set-up, leaning back like it was one of those reclining chairs, enjoying the show.

" _Leo_ drives." Donnie stated bluntly. Beside the other two idiots, Leo folded his arms and smirked in smug triumph, Raph and Mikey pouting in jealously. "Why?!" both whined in unison, almost in perfect harmony. I roll my eyes. They really aren't in a position to ask that.

Donnie moved out of the way so Lion Boy could sit on the seat without averting his gaze from the bozos. "He's _least_ likely to hit something just for _fun_."

Both Mikey and Raph looked away, "True." they chorused, letting it go and moved to their respective stations. Donnie said Raph had the battle station, Mikey has the map. And I help him with the computer station, and I'm supposed to be the back-up transportation. Yeah. Sometimes having super speed stinks.

I scoot so Donnie can sit, and he presses a few buttons on the screen. I heard someone heave a sigh of satisfaction. "So, how do we get this baby going?" he asked excitedly. I snort, rolling my eyes, "Baby?" I murmur under my breath, but Donnie hears, since he also snorts with a smirk.

* * *

"Excuse me, boys. I think you forgot to pay for that. But don't worry, I accept cash, check, or _teeth."_

We were sitting in the Shellraiser, watching some guy in a dark alleyway, stopping the Purple Dragons from...whatever it was they were stealing. I raise an uninterested eyebrow, while the others smirk, probably impressed.

"Huh." Lion Boy mutter, smirking, "That was a _pretty_ good line," I scoff, narrowing my eyes at him, "For an idiot, like _you_." I rebuke, and I turn my gaze back on the screen, ignoring how he visibly wilted.

"What're you gonna do?" Fong barks, pointing a fist at him, "There's _one_ of you and _three_ of us," he threatens. The other guy didn't seem fazed, "Oh, you wanna call a couple of friends, make it even?" he probes. "This guy's got _guts_." I hear from Raph.

I fold my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes, an uninterested brow arching up. "More like idiocy." I mutter, frowning. I don't care what the others are thinking about this guy; I'm not impressed. But he is brave. I'll give him that, but _only_ that.

"It's time to face the wrath of... ** _the Pulverizer!"_** he declared.

And my brain turns off.

I blinked, _hard_ , my left eye twitching once, eyebrows shot up to my hairline. The... _what?_

I hear somebody giggle; I think Mikey, "This is gonna be _great!"_ I hear from somebody, but I don't really register it. "Highly doubtful." I say, my voice dripping with annoyance.

I see the guy jump down, and I just _stare._

The Pulverizer threw a flurry of clumsy kicks and half-hearted punches at the Dragons, yelling ridiculous war cries all the while. What's worse...not _one_ of them hit their mark. Heck, it barely hit the _air!_

"...or _not_..."

I roll my eyes to the heavens, huffing an exasperated groan. "You. Have got. To be _kidding_ me."

And to think the guys actually thought this was gonna be some epic, big fight. This...this was just _embarrassing_. And don't get me started on the _costume_. That was just _too_ easy.

* * *

Let me make this clear. I. Don't. Like. Being. Called. **_HOTTIE!_**

Which is exactly what the _Pulverizer_ called me.

I lift him off the ground a few inches, my hand gripping his throat firmly, but not hard enough to choke him. He doesn't really gasp or sound like a suffocating goat, but his eyes slightly widen.

I narrow my eyes darkly, a growl rumbling at the pit of my throat, "Call me that again and I won't be the _only_ one who's... _hot_. If ya know what I mean." I threaten menacingly, raising my free hand, lighting it on fire. The Pulverizer adverts his gaze to the hand on fire.

And to my surprise...he _smiles!_ He smiles like a kid in a candy store! He just stares at it in awe. It's like he didn't even hear my threat. What _was_ it with this moron?! Did he have a _death_ wish or something?

"You can light yourself _on fire?!_ That is _so_ wicked!" he enthusiastically shouts, smiling from ear to ear, his toes wiggling. My jaw drops open comically, and I hear a snigger coming from Donnie. I look over Pulverizer's shoulder, growling testily at Donnie, "Shut it." I warn.

He holds up his arms in mock surrender with an amused smile, turning back to the Shellraiser. I look back at Pulverizer, letting him drop like a sack of potatoes. Harsh and ragged coughs rack his body, and his gingerly rubs his throat, major bruising coming in later.

I fold my arms over my chest, raising a brow at him with my lips set in a tight line. I sigh, rolling my eyes to the clouds. Ugh. I don't have time for this.

Turning on my heel, I call, "Holler if you need anything." my reply comes back as a, "'Kay!" and I walk into the dojo.

It feels weird. Not the walking into the dojo, the thing I'm about to do. I wouldn't consider myself this close with Splinter. I mean, I don't know if I consider him as a father figure or anything. But the hole in heart that my dad left feels like it's been...refilled, for the lack of a better word. And I never really asked for help on the matters of the heart. I guess I do see Splinter as a father figure. Maybe.

I never really had to ask for boy advice. I don't have a mom to ask for quick tips or anything like that. And I'm pretty sure my dad would never answer any of those types of questions; it's his job to keep the boys _away_ , not _lure_ them - erm, sorry, it _was_ his job. And sure, I could ask Clara, but she's reserved of her feelings, kinda like me. Gwen could work, but last I heard she's in a debate meeting thing at school. And don't get me started on Nicole.

Bottom line: I need professional help. Okay that sounded wrong, let me try again. I need experienced advice.

Like someone who's fell in love before.

My stomach feels a little queasy, but I swallow it down. Can't get nervous. When I'm just an inch from that door, staring at the japanese war paintings smeared all over his sliding doors, I lick my dry lips. And I call out, "Um, Master Splinter?" I bite my lip, "Can I speak to you for a second? I kinda need some advice about...something."

And I wait. I fidget slightly, twiddling my thumbs, looking down at my feet. I strain my ears to hear if he's gonna come out. After a minute or so, I sigh defeatedly, pretty much disappointed. Guess he only hands out advice to his actual sons...or people who didn't work with his archenemy.

I start to walk away, dejected. Then I hear something slide open, and I spin my body halfway around, face blank. Splinter has his arms clasped behind his back, and he frowns curiously at me, eyes blank, devoid of any emotion.

My brows shot up to my hairline, and before I can say or do anything, he gestures with one hand inside the room, walking back inside, leaving the door opened. I raise a brow, and then I look back at the dojo's exit, and I look back at Sensei's door. A sigh comes between my lips, exasperated. Might as well.

I turn towards Splinter's door, walking into his room, turning around to slid the door shut with a silent hiss. And I turn back to find Sensei sitting cross-legged on the ground, a small wooden table set with two cups, on top of small plates. Silently, I watch him poor something steaming into each cup, and I faintly smell hazelnut. Oh. He's drinking tea.

I hear the soft rippling of the water dripping into the cups, teapot clatter and clingle ringing silently. And he sets the teapot aside, turning his gaze on me. Wordlessly, he gestures for me to take a seat with a clawed palm, face calm as always.

Reluctantly, I lower myself down on the ground, shoulders stiff and my face smeared in reluctacy. I fold my hands on my lap, staring down at them, and I chew on my bottom lip. After a few, awkward seconds, I huff a little. Oh, will he just _say something alread -!_

"Is something the matter, Julia?"

I almost jump out of my skin at the sound of his voice, my breath hitching instead. Instead I look away. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

Yeah. He probably doesn't wanna hear it. He probably doesn't care. No adult I know would really care. Shredder hates my guts - well, he's more _annoyed_ by me, Lucy doesn't know me well enough - or had the experience, maybe William - yeah, _no_. He just gives me a headache. And that's all the alive adults I know. Not much if you ask me.

Nodding to myself, frowning with resolve, decision set, I tell Sensei, "You know what? Never mind. It's not important." I stand up, "Sorry for bothering you. I'll just go." and I turn to face the door, ready to leave. Maybe I can just wait until Gwen's done with her debate.

A hand snatches my wrist, stopping me in my tracks. I turn my head, raising a curious brow at Sensei, who suddenly speaks up, "Julia, you know you are welcomed to talk to me about anything." he insists with a kind smile. I blink repeatedly in surprise. Well I definitely wasn't expecting _that_.

With a word, he gently drags me back to the floor, and I just sit there across from him, face blanketed in shock. Snapping my eyes shut with a shake of my head, "It's nothing, Sensei," I excuse lamely with a shrug of one shoulder.

Judging by the furry eyebrow raised, unimpressed at my vague answer. I let out a harsh breath, propping one hand in my chin, hunching forward, glaring at the floor like it was Shredder himself. I don't even know why I even considered this option. It's not like Sensei could understand. I'm pretty sure when he met Tang Shen he knew he was in love with her at first sight. But if I ignore his question and walk away, well...I don't I'd like the consequences.

A sigh of relent flew from my lips, "There's this guy that I know," I start off glumly. "I've known him for a few months, and lately, I've been...I don't know, confused, I guess. I mean, I don't think I see him as a brother or friend anymore, but..." I trail off.

Unlike most people, I can never be sure of my feelings, especially when it came to romance. I just never been good at explaining how I feel. I've dated other guys before, but I never really liked them that much. It's just...I just _can't_ explain it.

"But you might have feelings for this boy," Splinter says after a long, agonizing minute, stroking his beard. I don't meet his gaze, I just give a small shrug, "Maybe."

Sensei remained silent for a moment, probably contemplating my words or something. Ugh! Why is this so _difficult?!_ Why can't I be just like one of those normal girls who know when they like a boy?! I'd give _anything_ to have that right now. They have it so _easy_. They can just talk to their besties or their moms about this. I can't. My friends wouldn't understand, and my mom's dead! So what could I possibly do?!

My eyes start to burn, and I blink rapidly. **_No._** I am _not_ going to cry. I'm not gonna cry over something as _stupid_ as this. This is nothing. It's nothing. Nothing nothing _nothi -_

A hand gently takes mine, and I feebly look up to find Splinter staring down at me, "Julia, no one is ever _really_ sure what they are feeling. _Especially_ in the matters of the heart. I can tell you are still unsure of your feelings for this boy. I know that it is hard for you to say how are you feeling. I was the same at your age once back in Japan. And there is one thing you must know, Julia."

I raise a brow, "...and what would that be?"

He smiled down softly at me, giving my hands a reassuring squeeze. "When the time is right, you will know, my student. When you are in doubt, do not listen to the voice inside your mind," he takes one hand and prods a finger on my forehead, and the direction of his finger. And then he placed his finger over my chest. "But you are to listen to your heart, and in time, it will tell you what to do."

I blink once, looking at the finger prodding where my heart is. And I blink again; listen to my heart? How am I supposed to do that? My heart doesn't have a voice or anything. _How_ will I know?

I look back at Splinter, a determined frown settling on my face, and I nod firmly once. "I'll try, Sensei. But I gotta warn you, it _ain't_ gonna be easy."

Splinter released his pale finger, letting go of my hand and placing it on my shoulder, chuckling, "Nothing in life ever is...my daughter."

Despite myself, a smile fights its' way to my lips. And my chest starts to have this warm, mushy feeling. I cover my hand over his on my shoulder, and pat it once. "I'm not really good at saying 'thank you'." I tell him sheepishly, and he chuckles, "I am fully aware of that."

Then he gestures to the cups, grabbing his, holding it in waiting. I blink and grab the cup in front of me, and we both raised it as cheers and took a sip, although I drank it reluctantly. The tea tasted pretty good, hazelnut and all. I'm not really much of a tea perso - _wait a minute._

I sharply look up at Splinter, eyes narrowed, "Did Lion Boy put you up to this. With the tea?" I ask accusingly, scowling at him, also ignoring the fact my head doesn't really hurt as much as it did this morning.

To my surprise, he smirks, shrugging, "You said you needed to come to me, did you not? I figured you would like a beverage." is all he says, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

I huff, rolling my eyes. _Now_ I know where Lion Boy gets it from...

The rim of the cup rests on my bottom lip, and I tilt it forward to take another sip -

 _"You're headed for -!"_

Suddenly, a large, dark green ball rolls towards me and Sensei. I catch my cup with my reflexes before it can hit the ground, a sound of surprise rising in my throat. The table crashes into the wall, and there's some spilled tea on the floor. Finally, my shock ebbing away, fading into annoyance, I look at the face -

 _"Oh you have got to be **kidding** me?!"_

Pulverizer blinks, looking like there's stars in his eyes, and his eyes settle on me. Instantly, that goofy grin of his breaks his face apart, and he screams jubilantly, _"Julie!"_

I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose, "Can't I have _one_ day off?" I scoff, pointedly glaring the dumb kid.

Splinter doesn't seem too thrilled, eyes narrowing, and grabs Pulverizer by the back of his suit. He rises up, taking the baffoon with him, pausing to look at me, a faint smirk gracing his snout, "Good luck with Leonardo," he winks good naturedly at me, a teasing and knowing twinkle in his eyes.

My eyes widen comically, and I just stare even as he calls out, _"Donatello."_ and then he disappears into the dojo.

My left eyes twitches on its' own accord.

Okay. Now I _know_ he's psychic.

* * *

"Donnie...I am going to _kill_ you."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of _confidence_ , Jewel."

"Well I'm sorry if I'm not a huge fan of **_jumping vehicles!"_**

Did I mention how much I hate Pulverizer? No? Well lemme make it clear. I _really **hate**_ this kid. **_Extremely._** He's loud, clumsy, obnoxious, a nuisance of a clown. Shall I go on?

The subway car bumps violently again, Donnie and I jumping with it in perfect harmony. I bury my nails into the thick and metal walls of this stupid car, truck, _whatever it is!_

I glare viciously at Donnie, a growl erupting in the lump of my throat, shoulders and chest on fire, the flames crackling with my anger and blunt annoyance. "Why couldn't _I_ drive?!" I snap at him. In response, he rolls his eyes, a sigh seeping his lips, "'Cause he's a little bit more predictable than you!" he barked back, mixing the chemicals in his erlenmeyer flask.

I roll my eyes while huffing in annoyance for the umpteenth time tonight. " _So?!_ I'm still a better - not to mention _stable_ -" I glare pointedly at Pulverizer, "- driver! I've driven a car before!"

"A _getaway_ car."

"That's _still_ a car."

 _"Uh, D, Julie? You guys still with me?"_ came from Mikey's shaky - and a little amused - voice.

Don and I blink in surprise, sharing a _'whoops'_ look.

Donnie raises his phone to his mouth, "Yeah. Sorry about that, Mikey. What are his symptoms?" he readily asks, back into doctor-mode.

 _"He keeps telling me I'm the smartest guy he knows."_

A laugh sputters from my throat, "Uh, Don? Did I just enter an alternate universe or somethin'?" I cackle gleefully, Donnie returning the smirk, before frowning and nodding, "Okay, okay he's delusional." he pours something into the flask.

"How's his color?"

I raise a questioning brow, "Shouldn't that be obvious?"

 _"Green, man, and I mean_ way _more than usual."_

The tires squeal and Donnie accidentally bumps his head, and I almost tumble into the wall. Again. He slides backwards and sideways. The whole thing screeches and my head collides on the back of the driver's seat. I growl testily at Pulverizer.

"Would you **_stop doing that?!"_**

 _"Sorry!"_

"Does he have any nausea?"

"I swear if you don't stop flipping this car over I am going to **_whoop your sorry -!"_**

 _"Nah, he doesn't have any -"_

"Pulverizer you are _seriously_ starting to wear my patience down -!"

 _"No, check that -"_

"I am _this_ close - _gah!_ \- to **_strangling -!"_**

 _"Ah, what the - I knew you ate my pizza! **You liar!"**_

"I _swear_ I am going to make your death **_slow and painful -!"_**

 _"Donnie, Jewel, get here **NOW!"**_

"Almost there." Donnie replies over Pulverizer's shoulder, a hand grasping my shoulder to keep me from strangling the little runt. Suddenly, we see some kind of roadblock up ahead. Oh come on! We're so close and I am _so_ tired!

The alarms beep to life. And Pulverizer's eyes widen a fraction, "The road's blocked. We gotta go around." he says, steering the wheel. Not that he's doing a great job or anything. Donnie shakes his head adamantly, eyes narrowing. I narrow my eyes into cold slits, "Did you _not_ listen to a word Mikey said?!"

"No time to go around. You have to jump it." Donnie disagrees.

 ** _"What?!"_**

"You wanna be a hero? _Jump it!"_

"Y-Yeah, uh about the hero thing -"

"Overrated, I know."

 ** _"JUMP! IT!"_**

And he takes the wheels on top of Pulverizer's hands. I squeeze my eyes shut, bracing myself. I hear the engine growling and roaring and I think I hear a crash until I open my eyes. The Shellraiser clumsily and harshly lands to a stop on the solid ground in some warehouse. The door dings open and I super speed out, dodging the debris and all.

My eyes fly around until they land on a certain turtle in blue.

* * *

"Uh, so, think we could pick up our training again sometime?"

We all stare at Pulverizer, I fold my arms and scowl at him. Is he serious? It's his fault that the Kraang have the power cell. I knew it was a bad idea for the guys to let him stay in the apartment. He might not be a bad guy but he ain't no hero either. So why is he trying to be?

Donnie calmly walks up to him, Pulverizer's eyes shining in hope and a giant grin plastered on his pudgy face as Donnie places a three fingered hand on his shoulders. "No." he barks in a sharp tone and the Pulverizer's grin instantly disappears.

His shoulders slump forward, but that determined grin he always has comes back full forced. "Fine. But I'll be practicing. And I'll be back. _And wherever crime may roam, wherever help is -"_

 _"Bye!"_ the guys deadpan with flat out eyes, frowning at the annoying teen. "And do us a favor and never show your face again." I tell him, frowning with bored and dull eyes in the dim moonlight.

Pulverizer frowns before settling his eyes on me, and a grin slowly edges its' way at the corners of his mouth. He takes my hand in mine and winks, "To be continued, my sweet firecracker." I hear a few snorts and half-suppressed laughs. I narrow my eyes dangerously at him, my teeth clenched behind my lips.

I jerk my hand away from his grip, and before he could even as so much as blink, I take my gun out with click, pointing it directly at his forehead. "Get out of here before I _splatter_ your brains all over this sidewalk." I threaten him. He slowly nods, taking this as his cue to leave, before sprinting as fast as possible. _Pfft._ Didn't know he could actually _run._

* * *

I sit on my bed, my headphones plugged into my ears, music vibrating through my eardrums. I nod my head to the beat. One arm was laying flat on my stomach, the other draped behind my head, propping me a little upwards on the bed.

After a minute, I hear a quiet knock on my door. Raising a curious brow, I plucked my headphones out of my ears and tossed them to the other side of the bed. I scoot off my bed and walk over to my door, twisting the knob. Lion Boy's standing there, in my doorway, arms clasped behind his back. He's wearing a lopsided grin, a silent apology written on his green face, spinning in his cobalt orbs.

And he outstretches an arm, unballing his fist, revealing a silver bracelet with the symbol of the Hamato clan as a charm. My brows raise, and I lift my gaze to Lion Boy's. He shrugs one shoulder awkwardly, sheepish. And I smirk genuinely at him, looking back at him and the bracelet.

Here's the thing about Lion Boy. He puts the people he loves first, and takes care of himself last. He's the absolute definition of a hero, well, when he's not trying to act like Captain Ryan. Leo's ten times a better leader than Captain Ryan is. I should tell him that more often. He's quick on his feet, he's pretty brave, he's responsible, sweet, courageous, and a _total_ dork. He's pure. Decent.

Slowly, I raise my hand, my fingers ghosting their way to the base of his green palm, shyly taking the bracelet from his hand, and I can almost feel the touch of his scaly skin in the tips of my fingers. And I put the bracelet on my wrist, right with my mom's charm bracelet, and I hold my wrist, smiling at Lion Boy.

Before I can say anything, Lion Boy gets there before I can. "I'm sorry about the whole thing with Karai. I should've told you. Guess I was afraid you would flip out or hate me or something." he says, his words practically oozing with apology.

I stare at him for a few seconds, dumbstruck. I don't think I _told_ him why I was mad at him. _Wow._

Clamping my lips shut, I crack a small smile at him, giggling slightly. His grin broadens ever so slightly, _"So?"_ he urges in anticipation, wearing his stupid goofy grin.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing at his rare giddiness, looking away, and then a figurative lightbulb sparks on top of my brain. I look back at him, hands hanging limply to my sides, before I raise one palm, and pull it back a little, and then...

 ** _SMACK!_**

I swung my hand and slapped Lion Boy solidly on the cheek, the smack sound echoing off in waves that I'm even surprised no one came out to see the commotion. Leo's was swung to the side, eyes wide from a mixture of shock and pain, unmoving.

I smirk in triumph as I wiggle my brows, "We're cool" is all I say before I soundlessly slam the door shut, leaving a _very_ baffled Lion Boy.

I open the door again a second later, Leo rubbing his cheek with a bandaged hand (his hands had to be bandaged after that night on the rooftop, almost burned and all), wide eyed with a raised nonexistent brow.

"And Lion Boy?"

His voice is a mixture of confusion and wearines, "Yeah?"

"Your face," and I smirk softly at him, "is the only one I would be happy to slap."

Baffled, he smiles bemusedly, but it still has its' genuine and kind touch. "Same to you, Fire Girl."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm really sorry this came out a little late. I did intend to have it published a week earlier but I got caught up with some stuff. Next chapter might be a little short, but I'll try to update it early. Hoped you like it and I appreciate all the reviews. And for Random's request, I'll announce who will be voiced by who next chapter.**

 **Bye!**


	18. TCRI

**A/N: I promise and I deliver. I'm about to go on vacation in a little while, but I'll see if I'll be able to update. It's only for 4 days so it's not much. Anyways, I'm really excited for this chapter because we learn a little bit more about Jewel, why the Kraang want her, and a scene with Gwen. And maybe if the mood strikes me, I'll write another mercenary mission. But that's a maybe. Hope you guys like this chapter. Oh, and before I forget, I promised Random a cast list. So, without further ado, here are the voices for the OC's. Just voices.**

 **China Anne McClain as the voice of Jewel**

 **Dove Cameron as the voice of Gwen**

 **Andrea Baker as the voice of Nicole**

 **Rebecca Shoichet as the voice of Veronica**

 **Zac Effron as the voice of Sam**

 **And there you go.**

 **Disfrutar!**

* * *

I was sitting in a cute, homey bakery. It was a cute cafe. It had cute sets of ice cream parlor heart shaped chairs, red like the cushions. It had a cute heart shaped red couch in the corner. The walls were a rosy pink. It had sets of round, porcelain white tables with fancy legs, a circular floral design in the center. It had a grand, golden chandelier. There are sets of porcelain teacups and teapots, red roses all over them. And it had polished to perfection, dark brown floors.

They're called _Muy Linda._

Gwen and I sit across from each other in peaceful silence, sipping on our coffees in these old fashioned mugs. A couple of minutes later, our waiter brings our ordered food in the form of two plates, a friendly smile pasted on his face.

"One triple bacon cheeseburger and cinnamon roll for the grouchy blonde," he said with a teasing smile, setting down the plate in front of Gwen. She wrinkles her nose at him with a smile, sticking her tongue out. I chuckle a little as he sets my plate down, "And one egg salad sandwich with a side of strawberries for the pretty rebel." he says. I take another sip of my coffee, muffling a thanks to him, Gwen doing the same.

He walks back into what I assume the kitchen of the diner, and Gwen takes another swig of her coffee. Her eyes land on her burger, she licks her lips and grabs either side of the burger. She gobbles a huge bite and slowly chews. Throwing her head back, " _Mmmm!_ I swear, this is the _best_ burger in all of Manhattan." she crowed, her voice kinda muffled since she's still chewing.

I shrug carelessly, taking one half of my sandwich, and taking a small bite. I chew slowly with one eye thoughtfully closed. And then I shrug one shoulder, taking another sip of my coffee, gulping it down. "It's okay." is all I say, taking another small bite.

Gwen raises an eyebrow, still munching on her burger. " _'Okay?'_ " she mimicked, eyes wide with disbelief, "Oh _c'mon,_ Jewel, we've been at this place a thousand times and you're _still_ calling the food okay?" she scoffs, violently gulping her coffee. "You're impossible, you know that?"

A sly smirk curled upwards on my lips, "Well, in my defense, I'm not easily impressed. It's gonna take more than one sandwich to have me crowing and all." I tell her, stabbing my strawberry with my fork. She rolls her eyes with a scoff, hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright. I admit defeat." and she bows down mockingly, "The only thing that can impress you is a blue masked terrapin."

The strawberry stops mid-air, inches away from my opened mouth. Slowly, I lift my gaze to Gwen's, which is smirking with a waggle of her brows. "Oh don't deny it, Julie. I know you like the back of my hand. I know _all_ your tells." and she proudly blows on her nails.

Briefly, I glare like a hungry dog at her, before rolling my eyes at her and going back to my food. "Whatever. Like I told you, I'm not a 100% sure if I like him in that way." Her triumph facade softens visibly, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're Jewel King. You always figure it out." she says with a reassuring smile. I shrug, "Whatever."

And we eat our food in comfortable silence for a few minutes, and a shrewd smirk curves my lips. "So," I start off conversationally, "you and Raph?" and I wiggle my eyebrows tauntingly. Gwen's fork slips past her numb fingers, a little bit of white flakes from her cinnamon roll fluttering on the table, like snowflakes. Her cheeks and ears flushes a light pink, and she pouts.

"We're just friends."

"Friends who hang out _all_ the time."

With a roll of her eyes, she scoffs, giggling embarrassedly, "Exactly. We hang out. We spar. But not like a couply thing. Just a friendly thing." she explains with an embarrassed grin. I nod slowly, resting my chin in my left hand, "Uh-huh. I thought you said you weren't into him anymore."

Laughing, she shakes her head, "I'm not. Maybe a little at first. But I think I'd rather stay friends. You know me. I ride solo."

"So I see."

She chugs down the rest of her coffee, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth before slamming down her mug on the table. "But do you want some advice?" I squint my eyes a little at her, my face grimacing into a confused expression, head tilted slightly, before shrugging and nodding slowly.

"Be bold. Stop holding back on your feelings. I know you're the kind of girl who isn't really sure about these types of things. But trust me, you'll know." I open my mouth to bark back a retort along the lines of _'how am I supposed to know?!'_ but she holds up a finger, "Let me finish. Look, I don't know much about these things either, but I remember the feeling of having a crush on a boy. Remember Peter?" she asks.

I nod, "At first, I wasn't really sure if I liked him, but after a little while, things changed. I always wounded up staring at him, I doodled his name in my notebook a little, I kept losing my temper a little when he was hanging out with another girl, and my eyes always landed on him first. And he was -" she pauses, narrowing her eyes before smiling, "he was the brightest thing in my mind, among the whole crowd. It was like there was one star in the sky, and for me it was him. And if it's like that for you with Leo, then there's your answer."

She slowly exhales, puffing her cheeks out, taking one last bite of her cinnamon roll. I blink slowly, soaking in her words. That was...that was pretty deep, in a weird, mushy way. My gaze travels to the floor, frowning troubledly at the floor, unsure. Is it like that for me with Lion Boy?

Okay, let's see. I don't really stare at him, just a quick glance. True, he does intrigue me. He's the _only_ thing in this city that doesn't bore me. I have been doodling lions with my blue pencil. And back when I was in the Foot, I didn't respect Shredder as my leader, and I didn't always follow orders, but I do with Lion Boy. Not to mention I gave him the nickname Lion Boy. And okay, maybe I did get a little peeved about him and Karai. But that's different. _Right?_ None of this means I like him. It's probably just a small crush. It'll go away.

I think.

* * *

"W-Who's going to wake him up?" Donnie asked, face pale and eyes wide with fear. I smirk. Last time he was with Leatherhead he got grabbed by the face. I bow my head down, snorting amusingly. When I meet D's gaze, he's shooting me a glare. I shrug with a helpless toss of my arms.

"What? You can't expect me _not_ to find this incredibly funny. That's just not fair." I had to bite my lip really hard from cackling like a witch when D's glare deepens just a tad. Less than a second later, _"Not it!"_ we all chorused, zipping out of the way, leaving Mikey the only one standing.

Mikey beams like a little kid who just won the grand prize, " _Yes!_ I win!" he shouts out happily, grinning toothily. Then he falters ever so slightly, pupils dilating when he figured out he has going to wake Leatherhead up. Gently, with a little force, Leo pushes him towards Leatherhead.

Silently, I take a few steps back, cautious and all. Mikey starts to prod the big guy up, and while he does that, I light my whole body on fire, drying myself from the stinky sewage water. _Blegh._ Thank you fire powers. Smoothing out my hair a little, smoke emitting from me after I'm done and dry, a cold chill runs up my spine, and I stop in my tracks.

Narrowing my eyes, I slide my Tanto out and point the sharp end at -

 _Oh, you have_ got _to be kidding me!_

The tip of my blade pricks Clara's nose, her eyes are wide, and she lets out an _"eep!"_ and half her body looks all dark and shadowy. Oh. Forgot she had shadow powers. Raising a brow, eyes flat, "Clara, what're you doing here?" I drone, restraining the urge to slap her upside the head.

Her nose scrunches, "Uh, well, I heard you guys were going to look for Leatherhead, and I wanted to come too." she squeaks, backing away from the tip of my blade as much as she could, but that's a little hard to do with the wall in her way. Her finger pricks the tip, going through it since its' in her shadow form, "C-Could you, um..." she whispers, twirling her finger around the sword's tip.

Rolling my eyes to the heavens, I slowly back my sword away, sliding it back into my jeans belt loop. A sigh of relief escaped Clara's red lips, and she straightens her spine -

 ** _ROAR!_**

I whirl around to see Leatherhead having another of one of those hissy fits. His pupils are dilated and formed into pale, venomous slits. His green claws grips Donnie's head like last time and he lifts him up, rattling him like a rag doll. _Ohhh._ That's what Mikey meant earlier. Makes _so_ much sense now.

 ** _"He's grabbing me by the face again!"_** Donnie screeches, muffled by the claw. My eyes widen drastically...and then I roll my eyes. He just _had_ to screw up again, didn't he? Ugh. Boys are stupid.

I'm just gonna make this short because I'm exhausted and a little cranky. Leatherhead stomps his claw at Leo and Raph, knocking them away, Mikey shouts something along the lines of, _"Leatherhead, don't!"_ but he knocks him away, and _blah blah blah._ What, I get tired of being descriptive.

A finger taps my shoulder, and I turn my head to Cat, "What?" I ask. She looks back at Leatherhead, forehead wrinkling, biting her bottom lip, a thing she does when she's concerned. And then she turns her gaze back on mine, putting a hand to her belly. "Rub his belly." she says matter-of-factly.

I blink. _Hard._

Rub...his _what?_

I look incredulously at her, mouth agape, but before I could say anything - or yell what the _heck is she talking about -?!_

"Rub his belly! He likes that!"

And I look incredulously at Mikey, jaw dropped in disbelief, and before I could stop myself -

 ** _"WHAT?!"_**

* * *

 _Music boomed throughout the arena, it thumped in rhythm with their heartbeats. Sweat clung their clothes, hair greedily clinging their skin. The music boomed against their ears. Their feet moved up and down, hearts beating rapidly as they increased their speed with the beat. They bopped their heads up and down whooping and whooing._

 _There was a sky of arms in the air, waving or coming up and down, smiles widening as the DJ announced an oncoming performance by an unknown singer. Mercenaries would shoot at the nighttime sky, startling a few birds from their trees and nests - accidentally killing a few. They didn't care, they all deserved a break. Beating up or killing someone could get exhausting and stressful after a while._

 _Abruptly, the music ended, and there was a loud chorus of booos. The blessed man he was, the DJ announced, "Now hold up, we got one performer here with us. Y'all know her as our favorite mercenary. So give your hands up for..." and he wildly motioned his free arm in a circular motion, right at the stage._

 _"SCARLET MOOOON!"_

 _Immediately, every merc in the room screamed and crowed in delight, clapping like there was no tomorrow. They all grinned in excited mischief; they all knew too well about the youngest mercenary in all of Japan. It was practically a household name in their wild roots._

 _Strolling out from behind the plastic curtains, was the infamous Scarlet Moon._

 _The girl had rich brown skin, glittering royal blues, and dark, silky raven hair. Her hair was long and full, silky and soft, black locks tossed and whipped around her head, captivating her beauty even more. She wore a dark red tank top with a skull design on the front, leaves and black roses surrounding it. She had on a distressed denim skirt, paired with golden gladiator sandals. Her accessories consisted of one fingerless glove in one hand, a golden hand chain on the other, both hands paired with gemstone rings and a silver choker with a skull charm dangling._

 _She stomped with a purpose to the end of the stage, eyes alit with a wicked sparkle, a mischievous smirk pasted on her rouge lips, her curves and silky hair flowing with her movements, as if she were a model._

 _And suddenly - abruptly - everything stopped. The music halted to an end, the room became midnight, and no one moved. Nobody dared to make a sound. Time seemed to stop. Ice shot at their veins. The only sound in the room was the ragged, quiet breath everyone inhaled. And for a second...they all feared the worst._

 _And then..._

 _"This is all hands on deck!" someone sang with a rich, angelic but devilish voice, and a stomp was heard. "Calling out to lost boys and girls, I'm gettin' tired of the disrespect. We won't stop 'til we rule the world!"_

 _And the lights suddenly flashed back to life, the music kept going at it, and they all could see the girl, smirking in smug mischief, a nasty, cruel gleam in her eyes, her hips swaying side to side in an attractive way to the DJ, snatching his mic lightning quick. And her confident strides came back up to them, and she sang,_

 _"It's our time, we up next! Our sails about to be set!_

 _They ain't seen nothing yet!" she wiggled her finger in a disapproving way, frowning and smirking at the same time, repeatedly pumping her fist into the air. And crouched down, inches away from the crowd, knees bent..._

 _...and her smirk widened..._

 _"Tell 'em who's in charge so they don't forget,"_

 _And jumped back up, startling the whole crowd of mercenaries, every each and one of them releasing a breath they didn't know they were withholding, and she danced with her hips and arm swaying to the side._

 _"What's my name?_

 _What's my name?"_

 _They all answered with a vigorous, "SCARLET!" and she smirked in wicked satisfaction. They didn't know her REAL name. The girl had her secrets. And she had MANY secrets. She was a complete puzzle to them._

 _"Say it louder!"_

 _She was smart, beautiful, cunning...and psychotic._

 _"What's my name?_

 _What's my naaame?!"_

 _Again, "SCARLET!"_

 _And she held her arm out in front of her, hand crushed into a fist, smirking proudly at it, "Feel the power!"_

 _The girl had a dark side. They knew this. She terrified them._

 _"No one's gonna stop us_

 _Soon the world will be ours!"_

 _She was wild, feisty, like a wolf._

 _"What's my name?_

 _What's my name?_

 _What's it, what's it?_

 _Say it LOUD!"_

 _Scarlet Moon showed NOBODY mercy. She would pull out a gun on them if they dared to disrespect her._

 _"All eyes on me, let me see 'em,"_

 _They kept their eyes on her. It wasn't a request, it was a demand._

 _"I'm the queen of this town_

 _I call the shots, you know who I am,"_

 _Her face was pulled into a disgusted grimace, pulling off an imaginary hat or some sort off her head, pretending to throw it aside like it was garbage as she sang,_

 _"I don't need to wear no fake crown."_

 _She ran the parts of Japan with a confidence that seemed foreign on a young girl like her. She never seemed afraid. She never faltered. She never backed down. They admired her._

 _"Stand up to me, you don't stand a chance!"_

 _And she stomped one foot, and she threw the mic back to the DJ without having to turn around. She pointed two fingers to her eyes and then to them, eyes narrowed, her face set in warning if anyone even dared to forget it. And she turned a heel and walked back, pausing at the DJ, tossing her head once softly, tough face and all, and the curtains swallowed her._

 _Yes, they wouldn't forget it. Scarlet Moon was powerful, dangerous. She was caught talking to herself sometimes, but they were too afraid to question it. They left her alone. They followed her orders. They did what she told them to do. She wasn't big talk like some cowards they knew it heard of. The girl WAS a wolf. Majestic, but dangerous._

 _And so, they would always - ALWAYS - respect the name..._

 _Scarlet Moon._

* * *

 **Clara's P.O.V.**

This is for Leatherhead. I'm doing this for Leatherhead. He's my friend. One of my only friends. Aside from Jewel and Brittany, of course. I was in the kitchen, Leo, some red head, and a giant rat there with me, staring intently at the blueprints. I just stood there stiffly, biting my lip in uncertainty. I don't really know these people. Well...mutants, and one human girl. I know Jewel's not human. _Pssh._ She's _never_ been normal.

To be honest, I want nothing to do with any of these _freaks_. And yes. I know calling them freaks is mean, considering I can turn into a shadow and teleport anywhere I want, but I'm pretty sure my DNA wasn't altered...I think...

But I was doing this to help Jewel. And I help my friends. Like how I help Leatherhead. I owed it to him. Big time. But I never told anyone about how close we were. Not even Jewel _or_ Brittany.

See, it all started on a regular day. I remember it was raining, and I think it was Saturday or something, I can't remember for the life of me. So anyway, it was raining. I was running from the cops, and I think I was holding a bag of dollar bills I stole from a bank, and I was so scared and I couldn't think straight that I panicked.

And when I panic I become desperate. And when I'm desperate and panicked I do one of the dumbest things ever. I ran into a cornered alleyway and a bunch of police officers were getting closer to me, guns drawn out. I heard Brittany curse on the other line, yelling at me to do something, like, the most obvious thing ever: escape. I opted calling for Jewel, but she was in Europe and this was over a year ago, so she didn't have super speed or whatever. That could've been _really_ helpful.

And I forgot about my powers at that moment, and then my pretty blue eyes spotted a manhole cover. Discreetly, I grabbed one of those smoke bomb things Jewel gave me just in case I would need them. And I threw it at the cops, hurriedly lifting it up and jumping in, sliding it closed with a lot of effort so they don't try to find me. What? Those things are _super_ heavy! Gimme a break!

Brittany told me the fastest way to get out of their and to the abandoned apartment I lived in. And then the strangest thing happened, I heard a noise. Okay, yes, I know noises aren't strange but this one in particular was pretty weird. It sounded like a bunch of machines. And it came closer and closer to me until...

Until I saw...well, at the time I wasn't sure what it really was, but all I knew was that I saw some weird _pink bubblegum thing in this really weird robot body!_ And it was talking super weird. No emotion or anything. And it had a gun. I didn't know what to do. Just one thing. I had to get out of there. _Fast._

Before I could teleport away I heard a gun shot. And then I felt something weird and hot in my side. Then the pain. Ugh, the pain. It was like someone was digging a piping hot knife in my rib cage. And don't even get me started on the blood. I screamed. And I think I was crying because it _hurt_! Faintly, I knew I was bleeding because when I touched my side, I felt something wet and sticky. Tears and makeup streamed down my cheeks, me whimpering pitifully.

I think the Kraang (now I know their name, learning it from a certain alligator mutant) were about to capture me or something but I couldn't pay attention. My side was aching something _fierce_. That's when I heard the infamous roar.

Everything was too fuzzy. I broke out in a cold sweat, panting, blood soaked, and I tried not to scream. Then I felt a pair of scaly arms carrying me, gently almost, and I think they were running or something. I opened my eyes, looking up at the alligator, almost screaming at the sight, but I was too tired to care. And then I passed out.

After an hour, I think, someone jostled me awake, and when I groggily opened my eyes, I came face-to-face with a giant alligator. Eyes snapping wide open, I sat up, forgetting about the gun shot wound. I remember yelping, holding my side, hissing through clenched teeth. And then the big alligator thing sat me back down on my back, soothingly telling me not to move too much.

Long story short, Leatherhead wrapped my side, telling me the wound went straight through; a clean hit. And he stopped anymore blood from pouring out my body. And he took care of me. And mentally, I promised myself I would help him. No matter what.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

And you people wonder _why_ I don't like heroism. The turtles and I arm climbing up in the elevator shaft, leaving Clara and Leatherhead to fend off a bunch of Kraang. Lucky ducks. I hear someone humming behind me.

Tightening my grip on the rope - and I come face-to-face with Lion Boy. Our lips almost touching like that one time in the dojo. His eyes snap wide open, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. Wide eyed, I purse my lips tightly, gripping the ropes so hard I think my knuckles are a sickly shade of white.

Simultaneously, both of us chuckle, and I try to keep my chuckle leveled. A rosy color blanketed Lion Boy's cheeks, "Heh, erm, sorry." he mutters, nervously looking away, biting his bottom lip. Swallowing my discomfort, I plaster on a lopsided grin, "No probs, Lion Boy." I tell him coolly, shrugging a shoulder, and he grins bashfully. Then...I hear the voice.

 _Kiss him, Jewel._

Blinking my eyes wide open, startling Lion Boy to raise cock his head to the side, raising a questioning brow, I chuckle. _Argh!_ _Shut up, Linda!_

...uhhh...Linda's the voice in my head...and yeah, I gave the voice a name. Don't judge me!

"Everything okay?" Lion Boy asks. I nod my head, trying to keep my voice cool and chilled. "Uh, _yeah!"_ I wince at the squeak in my voice, a forced clear of my throat to keep my tone the way I want it, "Yeah, everything's cool. Don't worry about it." I assure him.

His face grimaced into a weird look, before nodding slowly, muttering a quiet, "Okay," and he climbs to the other side opposite from me, climbing up further. I glance back at him, frowning with a twinge of regret and longing in my face, before climbing up further in this stupid elevator, puffing my cheeks out with a sigh of relief. _Aaaand_ Linda talks up a storm again.

 _Ugh, you SO like him._

I don't like him! Shut up!

 _Oh, but you do. You 101% like him._

I. _Don't._ Have. A. Crush. On. _Him!_

 _Yes you do. You like him. Aww, my little Julie has a crush!_

My cheeks warm up, and I restrain a growl. Okay, I swear she sounds like she's trying not to laugh, cooing at me. And when she speaks again, her voice sounds gentle and...what is that, _motherly?_

 _I know you, Jewel. You usually don't feel this way about other boys. Remember what Gwen told you._

Looking down, I bite the inside of my cheek, sighing silently. So...I like him. I have a crush on Leonardo.

 _Well, duh! Yeesh, took you THIS long to figure it out. You know for a genius you sure can be stupid._

I pout, maneuvering myself to climb next to Mikey, ignoring the boys bickering, I mentally tell the voice to shut up. Okay. I admit it. I have a crush on Lion Boy. So...what do I do?

 _You need to tell him. Soon. Before it's too late._

Wait, you mean _now?_ You want me to tell him now?! Of all times? I swear I hear Linda growl in annoyance.

 _No, Julia, not now! When the time is right for you two! Must I do everything?!_

Rolling my eyes, I concentrate hard to shut Linda's voice off. Okay, that's enough out of you.

 _Julia Anabel King, don't you_ dare _shut m -!_

Before she can scold me any further, Linda's voice shuts off in my brain, and I smile in satisfaction, sighing. Phew, finally, some peace and quie -

And an alarm blares all over the elevator shaft, echoing off the walls. And I bite back a handful of Japanese curses.

"That's bad." I hear from Raphael. Yeah, no kidding.

Oh, for the _love of god_ , can't I catch a _break?!_

"All right!" Mikey shouts out happily, pumping a fist, like he wanted the alarm to go off. Okay, do I have to smack him upside the head again?!

The rest of us glare at him dubiously. "What?" Lion Boy barks, keeping a tight grip on the rope.

"Finally, someone set off an alarm, and it wasn't me," he explains, pointing a thumb to himself. I scrunch my nose in pure disbelief before rolling eyes with an annoyed huff. Only Mikey would find that as an accomplishment.

A flurry of electric pink/magenta gun shots fly past us, grazing a few of the turtles. We all leap and jump out of the way in instinctive grace. Mikey spins in the air with his Kusarigama chain propelling and wrapping around the Kraang.

Maneuvering himself to a rope, he jerks the Kraang down onto the ground, while I yell out:

"See ya next fall!" I quip with a smug smirk. And Mikey whines, _"Aw, man!_ I was gonna say that."

* * *

We were all out of ideas. We fought a giant rock lava monster and we can't get it through the portal back at the home planet of the Kraang. Clara and Leatherhead joined the fight a few minutes ago. But even with my and Leatherhead's strength, we couldn't get the lava rock guy back into the portal where it came from.

Me, Clara, and the guys were watching Leatherhead fighting off the lava rock, something bright illuminating off of them, almost engulfing them. Clara and Mikey's eyes were wide with panic. Mikey cupped both his hands around his mouth.

" _Leatherhead!_ Something else might come through!" he warns, and Clara takes a step forward, her face pale.

Leatherhead has the lava rock's arms tucked in his his, and it's almost hard to see him, "Not if _I_ can help it," was all he says, the bright lights engulfing him. Clara tries to run to him but Raph holds her back, _"Leatherhead!"_

"Leatherhead! **_NOOOO!"_** Mikey yells in anguish.

And just like that, the lights swallow him and the lava rock whole, and I see a tiny white light before it blinks off.

For a moment we all stare at his retreating form. He...he saved us. He sacrificed himself to save us and the world. He knew something bad could happen to him but he still saved us. He's...Leatherhead's a hero. And I'm not even sure if I could've sacrificed my life like he did.

Suddenly, Clara falls to her knees, her back hunched, and her shoulders are shaking. And I could hear some quiet whimpers emitting from her deep red lips. "Leatherhead! No! _No no no!_ Please! _Please!"_ she sobs, sounding so broken. Wow. She must really care about him more than she let on.

Raph kneels down to her, rubbing a reluctant hand over her back. She turns her head to him, and all of a sudden, she buries her head in his shoulder, Raph going stiff with surprise, looking over at me. Raising my brows, I shrug, unsure what to do.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

The turtles, Splinter, April, and Clara all sat at the pit of the living room, sulking. Leonardo sat in the couch, Splinter standing with his emerald staff. April sat with Donatello, eyes downcast and fear pooling in them.

Mikey sat next to Leonardo, his older holding a comforting hand in his. And Clara sat on the floor near Donnie and April, knees pulled up to her chest, eyes vacant and downcast, shining with images tears.

The lair was deathly silent. No one dared to make a single peep. It had been an hour. An hour. Since they lost a dear friend, as the turtles and the two girls had watched helplessly as Leatherhead hauled the lava rock creature through the Kraang portal, bidding them a final farewell. They left without one member. Unsure whether or not he lived.

Mikey had shed a few tears, Jewel patting an awkward hand on his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him; she was never good at these things, but he still smiled nonetheless, at least she was trying. Raph had to drag a heartbroken Clara out of T.C.R.I. The poor girl never uttering a word.

Raph walked into the room from the kitchen, a plate in his hand. Wordlessly, he slowly sat himself down next to Clara, who barely moved, and held the plate out in front of her.

Blinking rapidly, like she was getting out of a daydream, her eyes slid to the plate in her view, eyes sliding to the boy who handed them to her. Raph offered a shrug with a genuine smile. "Jewel said you like chocolate cake, so here, take it." he offered softly, gesturing the plate closer to her.

Her mouth was set in an o, and blinking, her hand shakily grabbed the plate, fingers brushing Raph's, cheeks turning an odd shade of pink at the contact, him clearing his throat awkwardly. "T-Thanks," she stuttered, poking the desert with her fork. Raph shrugged, "Don't mention it."

April piped up suddenly, the first noise she made since she had learned the Kraang were actually after (still sending shivers up her spine), and asked, "Where's Jewel? I haven't seen her in a while."

Leo shrugged, frowning thoughtfully, "She said she has a surprise for us. Something to make Mikey and Clara feel better," he explained. At the mention of their names, Clara and Mikey perked up, the youngest turtle asking with a curious nonexistent brow, "What kind of surprise?"

The second he finished his question, a knowing, faint smirk graced Clara's smirk slightly, raising a lazy hand, everyone's gaze turning to her, "I think I know." was all she said, a mysterious, mischievous glint in her light blue eyes.

Everyone shared a look, and Leo opened his mouth to ask her something when suddenly, the lair was engulfed in music. And they all turned their heads, surprised gazes gawking at the sight.

Jewel stood a few meters away from the pit, a ghostly smirk gracing her lips. She had changed out of her entire outfit. Her makeup was partially the same; eyes painted in thick black eyeliner with pink paint dashed at the edge of her eyes, but her lipstick was a magenta shade. She was sporting two small diamond ball earrings in her ears. Her hair was in the Chili No Scrubs curly hairstyle. And she wore a white crop top with feathers and two strings dangling at the hem, two other strings tied at the back of her neck, making it look like a halter top, accompanied by pair of slightly baggy and wrinkled white pants with rather large white boots.

 **(A/N: Okay, if you've watched the video of TLC, No Scrubs, look at the outfit and hairstyle Chili is wearing when she's on the swing. That's the outfit Jewel is wearing in this scene of the episode. And she'll be wearing her hair like that again in another episode.)**

Her hands were gripping the sides of an odd white swing, swaying back and forth slightly as her hair blew back a little, and to all of their immense surprise, she sang:

 _"A scrub is a guy that thinks he's fly_

 _And is known as a buster_

 _Always talkin' about what he wants"_

Her voice was rich and soft, angelic and devilish at the same time. Splinter, the turtles, and April watched in shock and amazement as Jewel lowered herself on the swing, tilting her head up, her hair flowing back beautifully while she sang:

 _"And just sits on his broke ass_

 _So (no)_

 _I don't want your number (no)_

 _I don't want to give you mine and (no)_

 _I don't want to meet you nowhere (no)"_

As she kept singing, jerking her hips gracefully in the rhythm of the beat, before hopping off the swing and wagging a finger, keeping her face annoyed and blank. And they watched in amazed amusement, bopping their heads to the beat, smiles growing. Oh, this was just so wonderful! They knew she told them she used to dance when she as younger. But she never told them she could sing! How many secrets was this girl hiding?!

 _"I don't want none of your time and (no)"_

And she started to dance.

 _"I don't want no scrub_

 _A scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me_

 _Hanging out the passenger side_

 _Of his best friend's ride"_

And she waved her finger robotically, twisting her right leg and hips and placing her left hand on her hip, raising the right one and waving it in a robotic princess wave as she danced while at the same time singing:

 _"Trying to holler at me_

 _I don't want no scrub_

 _A scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me_

 _Hanging out the passenger side_

 _Of his best friend's ride_

 _Trying to holler at me_

 _I don't want no scrub_

 _A scrub is a guy that can't get no love from me (from me)_

 _Hanging out the passenger side_

 _Of his best friend's ride_

 _Trying to holler at me"_

And the song and music halted to an end. With one last step of her dance moves, she placed one hand on her hip, the other hand hanging limply at her side, smirking at all of them before huffing a restrained chuckle as everyone clapped and whooped, even Clara and Mikey.

Mikey beamed at her, sprinting over to her, "That was _awesome_ , dudette!" he proclaimed with a fist in the air, grinning toothily from ear to ear. "You didn't tell us you could sing!"

Rolling her eyes fondly as everyone crowded around her, "None of y'all ever asked." she scoffed, smiling. Clara strolled over to her, shoving Mikey away as he kept beaming, smirking, "I thought you said your singing days were over?" she asked sneakily, folding her arms over her chest as she smirked at her friend.

Jewel shrugged a shoulder, "Eh. I figured I could do it to cheer you and Mister Goofball up a little. And it worked." Jewel bragged wholeheartedly, nudging Clara's shoulder with her own. Rolling her eyes, Clara chuckled, "Okay, okay," she held her arms up in mock surrender, "It worked a little bit." her gaze tore off Jewel's face to her hair, pointing at it with a curious brow, "Hey, didn't you used to wear your hair like that back when you were in the Foot Clan?"

At the mention of their rival clan, everybody stiffened, breaths hitching. To be honest, they all _almost_ forgot that Jewel used to be in the Foot, their greatest enemy. They weren't exactly okay with it, but the girl didn't love being in the Foot Clan and she escaped. And she wasn't a huge fan of Shredder, so that made things somewhat okay. They could trust her.

Breaking the awkward tension like a slice of a knife, Jewel spoke up, grabbing Clara's wrist firmly with a forced smirk, "Why don't we catch a movie with Gwen," she suggested. And before Clara could protest, she sped out of there, her and the thief disappearing in blurry haze.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, first things first, Jewel dances the No Scrubs choreograph from the music video. She was dancing the moves at the end of the video, wearing what Chili wore and her hairstyle when she was on the white swing at the beginning of the song when she sang the first verse. Just wanted to make that clear. No Scrubs is A TLC song. Which I DO NOT OWN! I also DO NOT OWN What's My Name? by China Anne McClain.**

 **Disclaimer: I OWN NONE OF THESE SONGS. THEY BELONG TO THE SINGERS AND WRITERS BUT NOT ME!**

 **See ya guys next week! Maybe. Hopefully.**

 **-BPP OUT!**


	19. Cockroach Terminator

**A/N: Okay, for those who have read Angelxoxo8's stories and read recent updates, I'm SO glad she changed her mind and decided to keep going on with her story. She had me scared there for a second. But I kind of knew she wasn't going to quit. Intuition, I guess. I also have an announcement: for those who have heard of DivaGlam, she's a close friend of mine in real life, and FYI: if any of you read her review on one of the chapters of Tales of the Turtles or whatever, and know she was the reason Angel almost quit, I would like to apologize on her behalf for her behavior. It was uncalled for, harsh, and abrasive. I told her not to write a review unless it was something nice. Look, I know most of you will agree and some will think Angel was being a little overdramatic, but we writers on here are a little sensitive and been through some stuff outside of this website. So we might not take criticism well. And in my opinion, yes, we do need some constructive criticism, even if hurts our feelings. But try with a gentle and kind approach. Like a cake with bad news written in icing. Although I can handle any type of criticism, so don't worry about that, but like I said, some writers don't.**

 **Anyway, before I start rambling, I would like to make the special announcement. DivaGlam is officially co-authors with me for not only Spidey and the Avengers, but now, for LWT too! I'm gonna let her introduce herself. Div, take your shot.**

 **DivaGlam: Thank you, BPP. Hi, I'm DivaGlam, but call me Div. I'll tell you guys a little bit about myself. I like dogs, but I'm scared of cats and heights. I like to write a little, but I'm more into dancing. And yes, I am the "troll" who wrote that review for Chapter 8 of Angel's TMNT story. I'm sorry if you guys hate me now, but I wasn't trying to be mean. I didn't think she would stop writing. But hey, she decided not to, so yay. I'm just helping out a friend with her story, and don't get mad at BPP, she told me not to. Sorry if it was harsh, wasn't really trying to be. However, I do not appreciate rude comments referencing to me, so know I'll delete your review if you're going to insult me because of that review. I share this account with BPP sometimes. So, unless it's for the story, snide comments will not be appreciated. They're rude and mean. Just enjoy this story.**

* * *

 _It was a bright, sunny day. The birds chirped their fun little tunes, gliding through the air in a rush, pausing for crumbs on the streets and curbs. There was a cool rush of wind, leaves rustling in the aged, grown trees, vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow. The bustling streets were crowded with pedestrians, few cars honking, people going about their day. The streets were bright with colors that afternoon, leaves fluttering from their trees._

 _A man with olive tonned skin and dark hair walked along the sidewalk, an amused smirk playing across his face, dark brown eyes bright with content as he admired the beauty that was the love of his life._

 _She had rich, coffee brown skin, eyes royally blue, decked out in a sleeveless white lace dress, hair pinned in a bun at the back of her head, raven locks discreetly snaking around her ears, a slight pink ombre at the tips. She caught many young boy's attention, much to her father's dismay and amusement._

 _A devious, angelic giggle spewed from her lips, bouncing on her toes as she skipped across the pavement, clutching her father's hand. Her flowy skirt flew in tune with her bouncy steps, like a flower blowing in the wind. Her eyes sparkled beautifully in the sunlight, smiling brilliantly at her father._

 _Content. Happy. So innocent._

 _Before it all became a nightmare._

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

I take a sideways glance at Lion Boy, who was slurping on the ramen noodle he cooked for us. We were all sitting on the 'kitchen table', devouring on our soup. I unconsciously stirred the steaming liquid in the chipped, porcelain bowl, staring back at my reflection, a dull, bittersweet ache pumping my heart.

You're probably wondering what that whole memory was about, right? Well...I don't know. Guess I've had my mind on other stuff for a while now. And I'm here, in the lair, pondering on the good ol' days. Dad and I heading towards some famous soup restaurant that he and my mom used to go to when they were teenagers. Guess this ramen soup reminds me of that particular memory.

I do miss it. You know, my childhood. Not that it was much of a childhood, more like a...well I don't know. My childhood was anything but normal. I mean, I was a model at five. That's not _exactly_ normal. But I don't talk about it. I don't want to talk about it. It's just too painful to think about it, let alone _talk_ about it. Reminds me too much of what I lost.

"So," I hear a voice start off casually, jerking me out of my thoughts. I glance at the owner of the voice, meeting cobalt eyes, alight with slight amusement. I smirk bemusedly, raising a brow at Leo, "What's up?"

He stares at me for a moment or two, like he was trying to decipher something on me, and I almost squirm, cheeks almost heating up. Hence the word 'almost'.

Finally, to my relief, he shrugs one shoulder, gulping down the spiced flavored liquid, a ghost of a smirk gracing his green face, "Nothing. I just didn't take you for a singer." there was an amused twinge to his tone.

I raise my eyebrows, glancing at Mikey and Raph. Nothing. Those two knuckleheads were still slurping down their breakfast. Yeesh. Talk about no decent help today.

Rolling my eyes with an exasperated sigh, I turned my gaze back to Lion Boy, "Oh? Ya didn't?" I prop my elbow on the table, resting my chin in my palm, smirking coyly at him, "Then, please. Enlighten me, Hero. What did you take me for?"

A noodle was hanging from his mouth, raising a nonexistent eyebrow, swallowing it down, then comes a, "Hero?"

I pout mockingly at him, rolling my eyes, "Just answer the question."

Ocean orbs scanning up and down, he shrugs after a moment, "I don't know. Probably a dancer." I smirk, ignoring the teasing expression Raph was giving me and Mikey's, well, he's too indulged in his food to pay attention to this conversation. I scrunch my nose, smirking and raising a brow, "A dancer?" I repeat.

Leo shrugs helplessly at me, laughing slightly, "Well, yeah. I mean, come on, I'm pretty sure everyone was guessing it. And you did just perform a little dance routine a few nights ago. So I wasn't wrong. And well, I just assumed you knew how to dance because..." he trailed off, a limp arm gesturing at me, and there was a light pink pigment lighting up his cheeks. He kinda seemed...baffled.

A curious frown tugged my lips, eyes squinting at his red face, hand outstretched, mouth slightly agape. My eyes narrowed thoughtfully as I looked at my newfound crush up and down. My head tilted curiously as Leo's neutral and teasing face turned something akin the discomfort. His dark blue eyes shifted left and right, avoiding my eyes at all costs...and why was he blushi -?

And then it dawned on me.

Eyes widening a fraction, a smile fighting its' way to my lips, "Oh my... _oh,_ Lion Boy," I said, chuckling aloofly, ignoring his narrowing eyes akin to annoyance and embarrassment. A burst of laughter was bubbling up in my chest, and I had to cover my mouth to save him from any _more_ embarrassment. I heard a snort from either Raph or Mikey, most likely Raph. "Oh my _god._ You - You thought I was a dancer because of my _body?!_ " I cackled, giggles slipping from the slits of my fingers.

Raph slapped a hand on the table, Mikey choking on his soup, snorting, both smirking at their older brother in amusement. "Really, Leo? _That's_ what you assume for all the Foot Clan girls?" he asks with a smirk, electric green eyes lighting in mischief.

Eyes narrowing dangerously at them, teeth grinding, he yelled, "Shut up!" his voice went an octave higher, which only made me laugh harder to the point where I couldn't breathe.

Making sure I wasn't about to lose it again, voice shrill with another bubble of laughter, I smirked slyly at the turtle in blue, folding my arms on the countertop, leaning forward, "Well, nice to know I still got it." At this point, Leo's face was red as a tomato, shaking his head feverishly, "N-No! That's - Jewel, I _swear,_ that is _not_ what I meant! I just meant that - well, y'know, you d-do work out a lot, s-so I just assumed -"

I held out my hand in front of him, stopped his bashful rambling, "Heh. Relax. I'm just teasing you." I smirked widely at him, biting back a snort. He really is adorable.

I turned my eyes back on the soup, probably a little cooler now, stirring it. I hear a sigh from Lion Boy, and internally smirk. Ugh. I've gotta learn how to control these types of feelings. Blegh. So exhausting. And I ignore the looks Mikey was giving me, rolling my eyes good-naturedly at the soup.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a cockroach with some camera on its' head. Huh. Must be the spy roach Donnie told me about. Doofus still hasn't thank me for helping him build the thing. Ignoring it, I scoop up a tiny portion of murky liquid, the edge of the spoon to my lips -

 _ **"AAAAHHHH!"**_

My eyes blinked wide open in shock, the spoon splattering messily into the bowl. Was...did I just hear a seven-year-old scream? Is there a kid in the lair? Did I miss a meeting? Yeah, might've missed a meeting. It would make so much more sense. Or maybe it was Linda? I haven't heard her in my brain since the Leatherhead incident. We all turned our gazes to the source of the noise...

And my eyes widened.

Raph had his Sais out, repeatedly stabbing them into the hardened top, eyes wide with fright, face pale. What the heck was he so scared -?

I saw a cockroach scuttling across the table, hearing a slight squeak, or maybe that was just my overactive imagination. Eh. I think I'll go with both. And why was Raph trying to squash a roach? Was it poisonous or something? I haven't heard someone scream that loud since that party at Clara's house when she saw a spider on the ceil -

Oh.

 _Oh._

 ** _Oh._**

Oh. _My._ **_God._**

Raphael...the _Hot Head_ of the group...had Katsaridaphobia. And seeing him scream like a little girl (or boy)...oh god. This is...stupid. And just...just _ridiculous._

And funny.

So, _so_ funny.

Upon discovering this... _atypical_ sight, something all too familiar began to expand inside of me. Something I haven't felt since Dad died. My cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunks, and I had a hand over my mouth as my free one began to fumble through my pockets for my phone. Clenching my teeth behind my lips, finally getting out the stupid phone, tapping it madly before I hit the desired icon.

Frantically, I held my phone where Raph was still trying to stab the roach to death, screaming _"Roach! **Roach!"**_

I had to bite my tongue hard to prevent any laughter on my part, taping the whole thing, my efforts weren't a total waste, I was laughing like maniac, more like a...pig snorting quietly. I pursed my lips tightly, eyes clenched.

Distantly, I heard rapid footsteps approaching. Most likely Donnie.

" _Stop!_ Stop, you'll smash him!"

"That's the _idea!"_

An involuntary squeak slipped from my clenched teeth, earning an amused brow from Leo, and I saw the roach briskly crawl onto Donnie's palm, the turtle genius proceeding to gather it in his palms, holding it away from Raph.

I don't wanna vote you with the details, let's just say I wasn't paying attention to anything the guys were saying. I was...plotting, conjuring up my revenge on Raph for replacing my clothes with a bikini.

Smirking malevolently to myself, I hit stop on the phone, clicking the share icon. I typed in the contact, delightedly sending it to the person, before tucking my phone back into my pocket. Plastering on an innocent grin, I set my eyes on Donnie's laptop, watching what the roach had on recorded, passing by me, Leo, Mikey, and best of all, Raph.

Mikey laughed in delight, and finally...I couldn't hold it in anymore.

High-pitched giggles began to slip between my lips, growing faster and louder and way more out of control with every passing second. Raph lifted his heated gaze to meet mine when I decided to completely lose it. I was bursting into hysterical laughter, racking my whole body, sides starting to ache.

"What's so funny?" he grounds out, the three other turtles barely containing their smirks.

I held my stomach. Oh my god, this is too funny! _Hahahahahahahaha!_ And tears were slipping from my clenched eyes. I pointed a - a finger at him, _ehahahaha!_

"You're - You're scared o-of cockro - of - _cockroaches, ahahahaha!"_ I threw my head back and laughed some more, leaning on Lion Boy.

I can't _believe_ it! Big tough Raph is scared of something so small and harmless, I can't - I can't - _Hahahahahaha!_ I think I might actually laugh myself to death - _ehahahaha!_ Oh my god, my face hurts! This is so stupid, ludicrous, absurd, _ridiculous!_ Borderline foolish. Especially for a highly trained ninja!

After calming down a bit, Raph's cheeks redder than his mask, he grumbled something unintelligible under his breath before stomping off, Donnie cooing his pet roach, Mikey bothering Raph some more, I whispered something into Leo's ear, and he smirked amusedly and mischievously at Raph's retreating form.

Oh, this is gonna be the prank of a _lifetime._

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

"Why did you bring Gwen with us?! Are you _insane?!"_ Raphael hissed through clenched teeth, glaring coldly at the raven haired girl. In response, the female mercenary smirked shrewdly behind her mask, eyes flickering over to a blonde girl, eyes scanning the screen in front of all of them, the light illuminating off her face.

Jewel and Raph were sitting in the back of the Shellraiser, Raph had pulled her back there with him upon discovering the sight of the prettiest blonde he'd ever met...and the only one. What was she thinking? Bringing an innocent friend on a mission involving the Kraang. Gwen wasn't weak by any means (she did beat him in a sparring match once), but she might not be able to handle a threat like the Kraang (even though Raph's mind is screaming at him that she can handle anything).

After a moment or two (more like a hundred years in Raph's opinion), Jewel finally heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes, "First of all: yes, I _am_ insane. Did you forget the part where I was electrocuted in the _brain?!_ Second of all: Why do you care so much that I brought Gwen, hmm? She's always been on a few missions with us. Like the Rat King incident, remember?" it sounded more as if Jewel was telling him this instead of asking, talking in her oh-so innocent voice.

Balling his hands into fists, "I care because this is the _Kraang_ we're dealing with! They're dangerous and you know that!" he countered, jabbing a green thumb at her chest, "And Gwen might get hurt and it'll all be on _you!_ Can you honestly tell me that you're okay with this with a _clear_ conscience?"

Jewel slapped his thumb away, eyes narrowed, "Relax, Raphie," she barked, "why are you making such a big deal about this, anyway? I think Gwen can handle herself, she's a big girl." the kunoichi folded her arms over her chest, raising a brow, staring at him with one of those really weird soul-searching stares, looking at him up and down, sending a few shivers up his spine. "Raphael," she began in a sickeningly calm tone, "would there, perhaps, be another reason why you don't want Gwen here?"

At that particular question, a pinkish shade of red bloomed immediately into his cheeks, his breath hitching, eyes widening slightly, and he could feel his palms sweating in his balled-up hands. At his change of stance, Jewel smirked coldly, "That's what I thought." Before Raph could fire back a retort, a certain blonde girl walked up to the pair, brows furrowed, "Hey, are you two gonna come and look or what?" she asked, voice laced in slight annoyance.

Sharing a look, both nodded in unison, Jewel grinning innocently, Raph smiling, walking back over to the front of the subway car, Raph keeping a good distance from Gwen, watching the screen intently with her beautiful blue/green irises, lips pursed.

Jewel sent him an amused lopsided grin before dropping it as she folded her arms over her chest, furrowing her brows, eyes narrowed and calculated, but in all honesty: she wasn't really paying all that much attention, she was plotting.

Don't get her wrong; she loved living with the turtles, she really did. But she couldn't stay there any longer. It was risky. They were just going to get hurt, or killed, or maybe they would just kick her out. She knew by now that everybody was cautious of her. Mikey seemed slightly afraid of her, plastering on a what he hoped an innocent smile, Donnie didn't feel comfortable around her, he was very weary actually, and don't even get her started on Raph, Splinter was kind to her as always, but even she knew that he was cautious at times, asking her if she could leave the gun in her room. And April was a tad nervous around her, politely denying her offers to show her a couple of moves. Yeesh, no wonder she was still a novice, New Yorkers were quite ungrateful when it came to help.

The only people who seemed to trust her completely was Leo, Gwen, and Clara. Although Clara didn't count since she was a thief and all, so yeah. Jewel was lucky to always have Gwen around. She was like her chamber of calmness; she knew what spiked her temper and what cooled her down. And she gave advice and sometimes took the time out of her day to help Jewel out with anything. For example, Gwen skipped out on going to a wrestling ring to help out with this mission. They were best friends for a reason.

And yes, she admits it: she liked Leo. More than a friendly-type thing. She couldn't deny it anymore, somehow the blue-clad turtle had managed to dig out all the buried lovey-dovey stuff out of her cold, ruthless heart. She couldn't prevent that flutter of happiness whenever he looked at her with those warm, oceany eyes, his mouth forming a lopsided grin that made her want to smile back. In a way, she always felt safer in his presence, and he always seemed to understand her without having an explanation. Yep, she had a full-size crush on the turtle boy.

But like everything in her life, all good things must come to an end. It had to have been a curse. Yep, that's what it was: a curse. Someone must've put a curse on her the second she was born. Starting with her mother, that's where the chain of events began. Her mom dying the day she was born, her innocence snatched away from her when she became an assassin for the Foot Clan, the day her father died, Shredder electrifying her brain or whatever, causing her sanity to be taken away from her (but she did like having a voice to talk to when she was lonely and there was no one around), and then quitting gymnastics.

Who else was going to be cruelly taken from her? Gwen? William? Splinter and the turtles? Leo? No. She couldn't let that happen. All of them were innocent. They were good people. They deserved to be safe and happy. Jewel couldn't be so selfish or clingy. She was gonna have to leave sometime. But where would she go? Back to hotel rooms? Foster Care? Those options were far too risky...she would have to go back to the Foot. But then what? Shredder knew she was living with them, and surely he would force her to answer. Or maybe she could just lie her way out of it, maybe stating she was never living with them, she just ran into them many times.

Yeah. Yeah, that could work. She was a master at lying, evading the sharpest of people...well...except for Splinter, _duh_. But maybe she could trick Shredder, she was pretty good at facial expressions, a master at them. She could be an actor. But she wouldn't. Actors were such drama queens.

 _Jewel, YOU'RE a drama queen._ Linda deadpanned with a hint of amusement.

How did Linda even - never mind, not important. Okay, the plan...what was her plan again? Oh right! Lying to Shredder. But how would that keep the turtles out of harm's way? Eventually they were going to cross paths again. And the fiasco with the Kraang? Yeah. There was no escape this time. They were going to get hurt either way. The best thing she could do was - yes! She could do that. It was doable, it was safe, and it would help them for a million reasons!

She just had to formulate a plan first.

"I'm guessing that's bad," Leonardo said out of the blue. Well not completely out of the blue, she was only partially paying attention. From what she gathered, the Kraang were planning to drill a hole into the Earth, something about magnitude and lava. She wondered if she was immune to lava or fire, she did have fire powers.

"Unless you think the city needs a giant lava fountain,"

"Yep, that's bad."

" _Hey!_ I take offense to that! I'm practically a torch,"

That little quip earned a snort from Gwen, "Jewel, you're a lot of things. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a cryokinesis," she jabbed with a smirk. Jewel mockily gasped, a mocking hand over her chest, "How dare you. People with ice powers are _bor-ing._ I can easily melt them with a snap of my fingers," on cue, the pyrokinesis snapped her fingers, fire immediately spiking on her arms, crackling as the hot flame danced on her arms, the air in front of them dancing in a blurred haze.

A second later, the flames dispersed, smoke rising from the effect on her arms, Jewel smirking in triumph as Gwen rolled her eyes with a fond smile; she was never going to unamazed by her friends' powers.

* * *

 **Raph's P.O.V.**

A cockroach. _Why_ did it have to be a _cockroach?_ Why did I have to be afraid of cockroaches? Why did Jewel have to be friends with the best girl ever? Why did Gwen have to be here? Oh, this is _so_ not good. We're all literally standing in front of the most disgusting thing ever (except for Mikey), and it just _had_ to be Donnie's stupid cockroach? Why a cockroach, Donnie?! _Why?!_ Oh man, Gwen's gonna find out that I'm afraid of cockroaches, then she's gonna think I'm a total wimp and never speak to me again! _Man, I hate my life!_

Donnie was rambling on about something super sciency, touching the giant roach, a familiar scientific look on his face. Meanwhile, I'm having a panic attack and all I wanna do is get away from that roach! But I can't freak out with Gwen around, she's gonna know! Ugh, I hate you, Jewel. I hate you _so_ much. Guess I'm just gonna have to shoulder through. For all I know, maybe it's not the roach, maybe it just looks like one. And it's probably dead for all we know.

Until...

"It's my spy roach,"

My eyes widen, my breath hitches, and suddenly I-I can't breathe. I can't breathe! Oh no. No no no. Please not now. Not now of all times!

"Your what? Your _what?!"_ I couldn't keep the hysteria in my voice, and I had to ignore the weird look Gwen was giving me, and planning to kill Jewel later for calling her up here, wiping that smug look off her stupid face. I don't care what Leo says. She might be pretty on the outside, but the girl was a _monster_ on the inside!

Donnie started to go off on his boring science explanations again, and quickly, I grab Gwen's wrist, she makes a surprised grunt at the movement, and I drag her and me closer to the Shellraiser. I interrupt Donnie, "That's great, Donnie, we can discuss this some more when we're driving away _at a thousand miles an hour!"_ I say too quickly, wincing internally. Jewel was smirking her signature smug smirk. Boy, do I hate that smirk. And Gwen was probably giving me another weird look.

Mikey walked up to me, hands on his hips with a condensing look, and right now, all I wanna do is get away from that thing and kill Mikey and Jewel! "Come on, you big baby. What are you worried about? We creamed it with our van. It's not like it's going to get up and come after us!" I am going to kill him when we get home.

"Uh, guys?" Donnie called out, and I think I'm dead.

It looked worse than I imagined. It was like a cross of robot and roach with one red eye, staring at me. Stop staring at me! The red eye was seriously freaking me out! I had to get away! I have to get away! **_LET ME GET AWAY!_**

The bright, bleary red eye was staring right into my soul, and I think I was hyperventilating. _No!_ Not here! Not now! Please not now! It's bad enough I have Mikey and Jewel on my case, I didn't need Gwen to know! Though at this point, I think she already found out. She's smart like that. And strong, a good fighter, beautiful, the best person in the world - the best in our entire galaxy. Wait. What was I talking about?

"...or maybe it would..." I heard from Mikey, and the roach dropped Donnie, staring back at us. And I couldn't help it. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't.

And I screamed. Like a girl. In front of Gwen.

I hate my life.

* * *

I think my day is cursed. Seriously. What did I ever do to deserve this? And why does Donnie have to be such an idiot?!

Who doesn't turn off the homing signal?! I mean, seriously! Even _Mikey's_ not that dumb enough!

The stupid Spy-Roach won't stop following us! Why won't he stop following us?! This - This doesn't make any sense. What did we ever do to him? _AND HE'S UNDERNEATH THE VAN! HE'S UNDERNEATH THE VAN!_

We were all gathered around Donnie and Jewel's station, Donnie quickly typing something to get the big, stinky roach away from us! Gripping the back of his and Leo's shell, I couldn't help but ask: "None of this makes sense. Why is he so mad at us?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gwen raise a concerned eyebrow at me, confusion written all over her face.

" _Aaand_...got it!"

On cue, we see the exact same video of me from this morning, my eyes were narrowed, I had my Sais out, and there was shrill, high-pitched war cry emitting from my throat, attempting to stab the roach to death. My heart drops at the pit of my chest, eyes widening in fright. _No. No no no!_ "Oh crud,"

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I'm pretty sure it's Gwen, thank the lord for her. Everyone's brows shot up, all eyes slowly turning in my direction, "I don't think he's mad at us. I think he's mad at you." Donnie tells me, and Jewel scoffs, "Well that's not good, especially for you," and Gwen flicks her head in a scolding way, "Be nice," she scolds, eyes softening on my fearful expression. Curse those sweet, _sweet_ eyes. The world does not deserve her.

"Wow, that stinks for someone who's afraid of roaches," Mikey says with a ghost of a smirk. I bristle at him, gritting my teeth, "I already got it, thanks. So are there any _more_ surprises?"

Just as soon as I said that, a saw suddenly stabs from the floor of the van, and we all flinch back in surprise, my eyes growing into saucers, and a hand suddenly tries to tug me away from it, but I'm too petrified to let it lead me away from this _DEATH MACHINE!_

"He has a _SAW?!"_ I sputter in fear, hyperventilating, and I throw my hands up in disbelief, "The cockroach has a **_SAW!"_**

* * *

I hate being bait. I hate being bait. I hate being bait. Did I mention how much I hate being bait? A lot.

I was cowering in some alleyway, too scared to look at the roach thing anymore. I held my head in my hands, knees tucked to my chest, and I was rocking back and forth. I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, in gonna die...I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die! I-I need Gwen! Leo, Donnie, Mikey - even _Jewel!_ I-I can't die. I can't! I'm not ready. Oh, I'm so scared! I-I...I need help.

"I'm sorry I tried to smash you, okay?" I whimpered. Maybe I could talk some sense into this stupid roach. "I'm sorry. I learned a _very_ important lesson. I'll never be cruel again. _Just leave me alone!"_ I begged, near to my breaking point.

"On one condition," I heard the Spy-Roach say. It can _TALK?!_

I let out a loud, ear-splitting screech, _"ANYTHING!"_ I was shaking uncontrollably.

"Be good to Michelangelo." it commanded me. Halfway through the scream, my eyes blinked wide open, _"...what?"_

I stopped shaking, I wasn't scared as much as before, and I don't think I shelled my shell. "Let him read your comics once in a while," I could practically picture the comedic grin plastered all over his obnoxious face.

Slowly, I turned my head, bristling as he had his hands cupped to his face, a wide grin painting his freckled feature, and I bristled, seething with rage. Why, that little -!

Like a streak of lightning, I called my green hands into fists, **_"MIKEY!"_** I boomed at him, kicking his miserable shell.

He ran off, ducking behind Leo, who was holding me back from strangling the little twerp. Jewel was an elbow on his shoulder, a wide smirk on her lips, amusement laced in her tone as she said, "Okay, Mikey, I think he's had enough for today," To my horror, Gwen was standing next to her, chuckling under her breath, sending me an apologetic grin. Oh crud...

Mikey pouted at me, "So much for learning your lesson," he pouts, and I clench my teeth, eyes pure of venom and rage. Jewel chuckled into her hand, "Don't be ridiculous, Mikey. Raph never learns," Gwen elbowed her in the gut, but the smirk was still evident in her glare.

Leo ignored them, grinning, "Nice work, Raph," he pats my shoulder, and I raise an eyebrow. Nice work? For what? Cowering in terror? Letting all of 'em down? Humiliating myself?

"What are you talking about? Where's the bug?" I bark.

* * *

That's it. I've had enough. Tired of running. I have to face my fears. One way or another. For Gwen.

"You don't have to do this just to prove you're not afraid," Leo sternly tells me, still driving. My eyes soften. I have to do this. I _have_ to save her. I can't let her die. I don't wanna be the reason she dies. I can't let her die because I'm too afraid. No. It's time to end this stupid phobia once and for all.

My eyes harden once again, my decision set, "I _am_ afraid. And that's why I have to do this." I say with finality as I open the hatch for the stealth bike, propping myself into the seat, "Good luck, Hot-Head," I hear Jewel mutter softly with some weird fondness to he tone, and I smile to myself. Least I know she has my back.

"I'm comin', Gwen! No six-foot tall cockroach is gonna eat my sister's friend!" And the girl I care about...

Adrenaline spiking through me, I could feel the back of mask tails whipping behind me, the cold wind prickling my skin, and everything seemed so much clearer. I turned back around with a loud screeching sound on the road, glaring with venom in my electric green eyes.

The cockroach no longer looked like a...well, like a roach. It had mutagen colored wings, white, pasty grey slimy skin, a revolting looking circular mouth, and big, black eyes. **_Ew!_** Gwen was in its' grasp, eyes wide, but she looked pretty mad. She was kicking her legs and glaring at that thing with spite, "Let go of me, ya little slime ball!" she grunted, and without warning, it threw her off, and she was falling limply into the air, gasping as she did so. My eyes widen

She fell onto the roof, grunting before scrambling back up, sending the roach-fly one last glare before looking at me, and a smirk played across her lips, "Kick his sad little wings, Raph," and then when disappeared back into the hatch.

I smirked back at her before she left back inside the van, and I narrow my eyes at the slime ball of a roach.

Time to end this.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

Leonardo sat on the couch, watching as Donnie sketched new inventions ideas for the near future, the sound of the pinball machine pinging and the practice dummy being beaten bringing him a little comfort knowing they were safe and in once piece. After the hectic mission they'd had this night, entertaining as it was, involving a very unexpected surprise.

Raphael had nearly put the whole mission and team in jeopardy, harboring an old fear of cockroaches, the mutated cyborg roach not helping at all. But in the end, it was water under the bridge. The fear of knowing the Earth was about to be on the verge of splitting open and the fact that Gwen (who he _so_ had a crush on,) was in danger, had actually motivated the temperamental turtle to man up and face his fear, ultimately saving the city from another Kraang plot.

Jewel was standing next to Mikey as she watched Gwen and Raph beat the daylights out of the poor dummy, rolling her eyes. _Ugh, just get together, already,_ she thought to herself, heaving a sigh before taking a seat on the couch, a few meters away from Leo.

Her dark blue eyes flickered over to Leonardo, a troubled look on her face. She was never the expert when it came to romance. She could charm her way into a boy's heart easily. Seducting him with her pretty, captivating face, immediately swooning the boy over.

But it was different with Leonardo. He didn't care about her looks, just spending time with her, keeping up with her eccentric personality. And she liked spending time with him. He was so calming and too good for this world. And he was always just...there. Soundlessly by her side without any hesitancy. He was a mixture of awkward, brave, and adorable. She liked that.

Wordlessly, she shifted closer to him, nudging his shoulder with her own, a ghost of a smile on her lips, eyes warm. Leo didn't question it, just smiling and nudging her back, happiness fluttering in his chest that the girl was sitting close to him, smelling a hint of cherry blossom upon her person.

Turning his gaze away from the girl, he watched as his younger brother and his own crush pummeling the practice dummy, a toothy, wide grin painted on his face, still buzzing and beaming from overcoming his greatest fear since childhood.

Leaning back in his seat, smiling proudly at his brother's back, "Well, Raph," he said, gaining his attention, "you faced your fear _and_ saved the city. Not bad for a Wednesday."

Jewel rolled her eyes, giggling under her breath. Fully turning around to face his brothers and Jewel, " _Faced_ my fear? I _conquered_ my fear!" he boasted, grin quadrupling in size, flexing his muscles for extra measure (and a little for Gwen to watch the show), sliding over to his little brother. He grabbed Mikey by the shoulders, nose to nose, "I looked my fear in the eye," he shifted the flabbergasted and confused turtle into a headlock, pulling his Sai out and facing it like a gun to the wall. "And I _zapped_ it to oblivion!"

Mikey gasped in awe, eyes huge in wonder, grunting as he was dropped like a heavy bag of apples, Raph twirling his Sai with a large grin, Gwen chuckling into her hand. Jack-In-The-Box style, he bounced back onto his two feet, arms spread out wide behind his older brother, slugging an arm around his shoulder, eyes flickering over to Jewel, who gave a two-fingered salute with a smirk and mischievous glint in her royal orbs.

"So you're not afraid of cockroaches anymore, huh?" he asked innocently with the usual freckled dotted smile. Leo's gaze flickered over to Jewel and Mikey, internally smirking at the future scene about to unfold, no doubt humorous.

Still wearing that smug girn, unaware of the girl's and Mikey's eye contact, he simply shook his head, "Nope!"

Mikey nodded, "Good, good," suddenly, his smile was one of mischief, drawing in closer to Raph's ear, "Then you won't mind the one I just slipped into your shell." he whispered devilishly.

Instantaneously, Raphael's grin vanished, a look of pure horror as his eyes widened to the size of soccer balls, his eye twitching once. Suddenly, to everyone's amusement, he was bouncing and running across the pit, screaming with his hands reaching for his shell, running back and forth.

Watching him go, the three turtles, Gwen, and Jewel laughed at his distress, Gwen bouncing a seat next to Jewel with a knowing grin etched onto her face, nudging her with an elbow, "Jewel, you wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?"

The famous smirk everyone came to love and hate said it all, Gwen rolling her eyes, laughing, slapping a scolding hand on her best friend's shoulder, "Jewel!" she mockingly reprimanded, laughing as Raph's screaming continued, with the other turtles chasing after him, attempting to calm him down. "Don't you think he's had enough for today? You already sent me that video from this morning."

Laughing uncontrollably into her hand, Jewel shrugged a shoulder, grinning, "What can I say? It's the world we live in."

A look of baffled amusement painted Gwen's face, rolling her eyes with a chuckle. "You're impossible, you know that?" she scoffed.

Jewel threw her hands up slightly, shrugging helplessly, "I can't fix America, Gwen."


	20. Baxter's Gambit

**A/N: I know, I know. SUPER late. Sorry. It's been a busy month for me. Div and I are back at school, so we're gonna be really busy for a little while. Which is why we have another announcement. Div, why don't you tell them.**

 **DivaGlam: Sure thing. Updates are gonna be REALLY slow. We're still working on the other stories but we're just gonna focus on finishing the first season of this fanfic. Instead of updating one chapter every once in a while, we'll be updating three or four. That way it'll be faster and less stress for us. BPP and I are just gonna write on our other stories when we got the time and when it's the place. That cool with you guys?**

 **BPP: Also, we're having a little bit of a debate.**

 **Div: Yeah. And we kinda need a tie breaker.**

 **BPP: Okay, so I didn't tell you guys this, but do y'all know Aaliyah? If you do, you rock. And if you don't, look her up.**

 **Div: Okay, so, apparently, Alys based Jewel's design concept on Aaliyah. Like skin, body, etc.**

 **BPP: And when Random asked us the voices of our OC'S, I wanted to pick Aaliyah for Jewel. But Div wanted to pick China Anne McClain. Which I still agree with.**

 **Div: And won't stop complaining about.**

 **BPP: So, we're gonna leave that up to you guys. If you want, and if you don't, well, we'll just coin flip it. Aaliyah or China? Most votes is the winner. RIP, Baby Girl. Rest in Peace.**

 **Hope ya likey!**

* * *

It was a little cold outside. Windy. A simple cool breeze licking at my skin through my clothes. Some faint strands of hair wisped behind my ears, forehead tickling slightly. I listened to the obnoxious honking of cars, few people yelling out unintelligible phrases, and bells dinging every once in a while. The city still had the soft glow from all the lights, from neon to streets.

My dark blue orbs looked up at the bright, milky gray moon, you couldn't see any clouds blocking it. It almost brought a smile to my lips. Almost.

I was sitting on a swing in Central Park, sipping on some coffee. The taste of it was bitter and cold, but oh well. What can you do?

I think the turtles were on some mission or patrol...I don't know. Something along those lines. I wasn't really up for much action tonight so I told them I had some modeling gig in Manhattan. And I told them to text me if it was REALLY serious.

I don't really know why I'm so down tonight. No one I cared about died. Or got hurt. Everyone I knew was still in one piece. Yippy. But yeah. I was pretty down tonight. Don't know why. And I don't really wanna find out right now. Too tired. Just need some peace and quiet and I'll be good in an hour or so.

I took another swig of the cold, bitter drink, setting it down beside me on the ground, staring ahead of the bright stars with an emotionless mask, maybe depressed.

Huh. I've never noticed. The buildings and blimps and planes were always in the way. And New York wasn't really the place where you could just stare at the stars all night unless you were really high up. Beautiful. Like every beautiful thing you saw doesn't compare to this. The stars. It's like you're in another galaxy. Drifting away into nothingness.

The corners of my lips twitching, I exhale and close my eyes. Through my nose, I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. I gulp the fresh air again, exhaling again. Again. Open my eyes. And the stars somehow become even brighter than they were before. And my eyes don't feel so droopy anymore.

Wow. Lion Boy was right. Looking up at the stars yourself does make it more real and beautiful than it sounds.

Smiling softly to myself, I close my eyes, and lean my myself back, hands gently gripping the chains of the swings, slightly swinging my legs back and forth...

Until I heard a gasp.

"Wow...is it...is it really _you?_ "

Shoulders tensing, my eyes flew wide open, and instinctively, I drew my gun out, eyes blank and narrowed.

A dark skinned twelve year old (she looked twelve) was standing across from me. She had her hands up in surrender, a surprise and slightly anxious look flashed across her face, her big brown eyes wide. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, mouth slightly agape.

I blinked, shoulders relaxing, eyebrows rising to my hairline. Oh. It's just a girl. I let my fingers relax and soften the hold on the gun, slowly sliding it back behind my pocket.

She noticeably relaxed, her hands hesitantly falling to her side. "Sorry," she sheepish winced before her eyes brightened and she grin wider than the Joker, "but I just can't believe it's _you!"_

I raised an eyebrow. Based on the way she bounced on her feet with giddy excitement, hearing the whole hero worship thing in her voice...I'm gonna go with she's a fan of my modeling. Or the fashion line or clothes. Girls that age still like those kind of stuff, right? At that age I was into gymnastics, soccer, and ninjitsu.

She waved her arms in front of her chest a little, continuing on, "It's just - you're like my _all-time_ , number one, _favorite_ gymnast! I watch _all_ of your competitions! You are like the _best_ gymnast of all-time!" she squealed, giggling.

I nearly blanched. Gymnast? She loved me as a... _gymnast?_

I'm not insulted or anything. I love gymnastics more than I love modeling. It's just that...it's...gymnast. No one, and I mean _no one,_ ever compliments me as the once well-respected professional gymnast I once was. People mostly just knew me as the wildcard model...or mercenary to other mercenaries.

Now that I thought about it...it kinda hurt. Gymnastics was a huge part of my life. I loved and hated every second of it. I loved the fluid flips, tumbles, and all our equipment. I hated the sprained and broken bones, the too bright lights, and the way too tight outfits they forced me in. It was the best time of my life.

But now...people just only recognize me as some model who's in every fashion magazine. Girls either kiss up or glare at me, boys just flirt left and right, back and forth. But never - never has anyone complimented me as a gymnast. It was as if everyone just forgot about that part of my life, like it was erased and sent to trash.

I couldn't help that foreign, warm feeling to burst in my chest, a smile creeping its way to my face. The girl just kept talking and talking about a mat I won four years ago. And the memories kept rushing back.

She kept rambling some more, simmering down a little. She smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I'm talking too much."

I smirked, "No no. Keep going. I'm actually quite enjoying all this attention,"

The little girl giggled embarrassedly, her light brown cheeks heating up in a bright red. She had her hands clasped behind her back, big brown eyes looking everywhere except at me, and she was standing pretty awkwardly, no clue on what to do.

Squinting my eyes slightly, they crinkled with amusement, and I scoffed, "You can take a seat if you'd like." I offered. To be honest I felt a little awkward too. It's not very often I meet a fan of gymnastics. It's kinda rare now at these times. Well, maybe not rare, it's just not very often anymore.

The girl's jaw slacked, her eyes widening slightly. She looked into my eyes, silently asking for confirmation. Rolling my eyes with a light smirk, I motioned a hand to the empty swing adjacent to me.

Pursing her lips, cheeks red, the girl hesitantly shuffled over to the seat, eyes glancing at me, like she was trying to figure out if I would yell at her or something. Are all kids like this when they meet famous people?

She rested her caboose onto the seat, a hand sliding out a phone with ear buds from her purple hoodie. She kept glancing at me every now and then, her thumb scrolling through something on her phone, trying not to make it noticeable. Kids were definitely weirdly cute now.

I relaxed a little, halting in the slight swinging. I rose an eyebrow at the girl, still trying not to let it show that she kept glancing at me every few seconds. I smiled to myself a little more. She continued to try being nonchalant and cool and she was failing miserably. It's understandable. Not everyday you meet your hero.

"So..." she drawled, puffing her cheeks, "Hard night?" she asked, her head turning to look at me, eyes innocent. With a tired grin, I slowly nodded.

She nodded along, "Me too," she sighed, gazing at the stars, "Big brothers suck." she muttered, but it was still loud enough for me to hear.

"But it's super cool to meet you." she said, looking at her phone again, "I don't think Carrie's gonna believe me when I tell her at school tomorrow. Or anyone else for that matter." her eyes continued to flicker at me once in a while, and I watched her with an amused smile.

"I'm Roxy by the way," she told me after a few seconds, "I don't know if you, uh, remember or anything, but I sent you a letter a year ago. It was on your birthday and I wished you a Merry Christmas. I, um, I-I don't think you remember that. Do you?"

I actually did. Last year was pretty lonely for me. I was still living in Japan, Gwen and Nicole were in New York, I didn't know where Clara was, and I didn't have anyone to spend time with. I was just kinda doing my own thing. Throwing water balloons at unsuspecting pedestrians from rooftops, vandalizing public property, and I think I was fighting some girl at a bar. I don't know, it was a pretty wild time for me.

Then I got some letter in my mail from an unknown kid named Roxy. I thought it was pretty weird at first. Who writes letters? This is the 21st Century. Curiosity got the better of me, and I read it. It was actually kinda adorable. The letter was three pages long, front and back. Roxy drew in some doodles and it was neat and unwrinkled. The handwriting was dainty and her _'y's'_ were curled.

I smiled wider, mind flashing back to the letter on that day, "I do." and I giggled, "Loved the paisley drawings by the way."

Her head turned so abruptly, I almost flinched. Her eyes were bright in the soft glow of the moon, wide with excitement, a smile so big it could rival Mikey's. " _Really?!_ _Oh my gosh_ \- I didn't think you'd actually remember!"

She went on and on about how she and her mom went to some competition and asked if I remembered any of it. I nodded, I didn't exactly know which Olympic Event she was talking about, but the details did sound familiar. Maybe it was the two or three years ago. Either way it was a fun day.

Roxy told me all about how she sneaks out of her apartment and comes here for some peace and quiet. How her brother was always bothering her and her parents didn't do anything about it. She was starting school here and so far only has one friend named Carrie.

I listened while she talked, smiling as she told me how she always looked up to me and I was her hero. She read every news article and sports and gymnastics magazine all about me. She looked up to me, said she wants to be like me when she grew up.

It was...nice. Great, actually. I never really knew anyone, let alone a twelve-year-old, would see me in that kind of light. It felt like gymnastics was deleted in my life after I retired, like people just focused on the whole modeling thing. It wasn't a whole crowd cheering and yelling my name, it was parties, shoots, bruises and blood (most of which is not mine), wild fights.

So...yeah. I'm glad someone recognizes me as a world-famous gymnast, not some model or mercenary. I liked it.

I talked to Roxy a bit, answering questions I couldn't respond to with a gesture. Told her all the wild times after meets and competitions Gwen and I used to get ourselves into. I gave her a few tips and how I got the nickname, Scarlet Moon. It was this move I came up with that won me my first gold medal. I told her stories about dad and Clara and Gwen. I was having a little fun.

I'm not sure how long we were talking, but I got a text from Donnie saying something about a warehouse and it was urgent. Guess that's my cue to leave.

Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I turned my head to Roxy, sighing, "Sorry, Rox, gotta head somewhere."

Her face fell, muttering a quiet "oh,"

We stood up, Roxy stretched her arms behind her back, and I felt a little disappointed. It was pretty cool talking to Roxy, though it did feel weird to be called someone's hero, but I guess it's okay. God. I just bonded with a twelve year old, and I don't even like kids all that much. Stupid Lion Boy.

A sad smile curled at Roxy's lips, her chocolate eyes desolate, "Thanks for talking to me, Jewel. I hope you unretire someday," she said softly, and I felt my heart sting a little. Aw, Roxy wasn't a bad kid, maybe a little awkward and hyper but what new kid at school wasn't? She's really sweet and friendly, the complete opposite of me, so that's a good thing.

I bury my hands in my back pockets, frowning thoughtfully at the ground, and a smirk curved at my lips.

Getting an idea, I held out my palm in front of her, smiling broadly, "Give me your phone," I told her, voice thick with mischief and authority.

Roxy's brows shot up, she tilted her head, but complied nonetheless, hand slowly handing me the phone, and I snatch it delightedly. This should be fun.

Grinning wider than the Cheshire Cat (ew), I tap on the device, clicking on 'contacts', and typing in my number, while Roxy just stared, looking more lost than ever.

After typing in my name and saving it, I hold the phone out in front of Roxy, grinning wickedly, restraining a laugh when Roxy slowly took the phone, befuddled.

Immediately after my fingers slipped out of the phone, I folded my arms over my chest, thoroughly enjoying the look on Roxy's face, morphing into shock, bemusement, and best of all, beaming at the screen.

She stared at me, her eyes - if even possible - wider than I have ever seen on anybody before, and her mouth hanging open, disbelieving but satisfied. I smirked cheekily, "I think the kids will believe you now."

She laughed, before - without warning - ramming herself into me, squeezing my waist tight as possible, "Thank you!"

I simply laughed, gently prying her off me. How amusing. "No problem," I put a hand on her shoulder, still smiling a little, looking back at the towering trees, "Come on, I'll take you home." Anything for a fan, right?

Roxy burster into excited giggles and she told me the directions as we walked home, bouncing on her toes with every step, me smiling softly. Hope she never loses that innocence. Something to cherish.

After a few minutes, we arrived on her doorstep in front of the door, her parents about to buzz her in.

I patted her shoulder, bidding farewell. She thanked me again, and I started to walk back to the buzzing streets of the city, a smile glued to my face.

"Hey Jewel!"

Turning halfway, eyes meeting Roxy again, one hand holding out the clear door open, she smiled gratefully, her voice soft and certain.

"You're my hero."

I didn't say anything to that, just smiled softly, and I nodded once in thanks, turning back around and swallowing myself in the herd of New Yorkers, content at the moment.

And for once, I believed it.

* * *

I folded my arms over my chest, huffing, "This sucks," I pouted like a petulant child, "clearly when something good happens, the universe has to twist it around and make it sucky."

I heard a tired sigh to my right, a hand softly landing onto my shoulder, "Same here, Fire Girl. Same here."

Okay, are you freaking kidding me? Now? Now of all times. This is why I hate the stupid hero business! I don't understand what Leo sees in it. Being a hero sucks!

As we all walked onwards at a steady pace, I couldn't help but glare distrustfully at the opposing duo. I think we were all glaring at each enemy...though Fishface keeps winking at me. Ew. Just...ew.

I can't believe we actually fell for a trap...literally. And why can't Stockman just kill Fishy and Doggy grouch first so the guys and I can leave? Or let me go? Ugh, why do grown, scrawny men have to be so infuriating? And this stupid maze is seriously obnoxious to look at. It's an endless trail of black and white. And why Maze Of Doom? It's stupid. Pointless. Why does he keep naming everything with Doom?

A cold, scaly arm wrapped around my neck, and I rolled my eyes. Not this again.

"Move it, before I cook it." I half-heartedly threaten, pretty sure I just sounded annoyed.

As soon as I said it, Fishface immediately let go, gulping as he did so. Wuss.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to rub off the sleep in my eyes. Ugh. Tonight is so not my night. Least I had a nice chat with a twelve year old...which now that I think about it, kinda weird. But whatever. Weird is officially my normal.

With a heavy sigh, I take out my phone, checking out the time. An hour to twelve. Great. _Juust_ my luck. And what's worse...I have a mission at three. Why me?

We entered a large circular room, suspiciously vacant of any death traps. "Weird" I muttered quietly, narrowing my eyes, looking for any sign of a trap. Dogpound lifted his head, sniffing the air twice. "Fresh air." he pointed to the far left of the room, "Coming from that direction." he announced.

Raising a brow, I crossed my arms. My eyes flickered to the new direction, then to the bad guys. Well _I'm_ not going first.

We all shared a brief, blank look. I don't see any traps, none that were visible, but we're not just gonna be too careful. Based on research, Baxter wasn't an idiot. He could most likely have bombs or more lasers hidden somewhere, and I don't wanna find out if it's true or not.

"Eh, please," Fishface offered kindly to us, a wide, pleasantly deceiving grin plastered on his ranges mouth, stepping out of the way to allow us to go first. Idiot. "After you."

An unimpressed brow quirked upwards. I shook my head slowly. Lion Boy shook his head, returning the phony smile, "No, no. _You_ go ahead. I insist." he graciously offered. Despite the tired lull, I smirked behind him.

"Aw, what's the matter?" the sushi asked, tone condescending as ever. "You don't trust me?"

With sickeningly sweet grin, "Sweetheart, we trust you about as far as we can _throw_ you." I gushed with deceivingly pleasant tone with a hint of a Southern accent.

Raph nodded with his famous scowl, glaring at the mutant fish, "If you think we're gonna turn our back to you, you're _nuts."_

"I know!" Mikey suddenly piped up eagerly, hands held out in front of him, gaining our attention as I looked at him expectantly. "We go like this: turtle, turtle, jerk, girl, turtle, turtle, jerk - wait, no. Girl, turtle, jerk, jerk - nah, too many jerks..."

The right side of nostrils flared, my eyes widening, expression incredulous. Is he stupid? There's only _two_ jerks!

Suddenly, more like thankfully, he was interrupted as a small hole opened up from the rooftop, several strange silver orbs emitted above our heads. My head whipped up. What the...? "Balls!" Lion Boy cried. "Of doom...

They looked pretty harmless. I wish they were harmless. But knowing a crazy mad scientist with a vindictive personality...they are certainly anything but harmless.

"What are those?!" Dogpound exclaimed. The balls suddenly grew laser edged spikes and saws, the buzzing reminding me of an angry hornet nest that used to be at Jane's old house back in Japan.

Shrugging a nonchalant shoulder, I calmly explained, "The cause of our deaths." I answered like it was nothing. I saw Leo gulp out of the corner of my eye, "Not good. Let's move it!" he called, just as the flying orbs attacked.

With a basic roll and duck, I rolled my eyes to the stars of space, "Orbs with spikes and saws," I quietly breathed, blasting a fireball at one, "Why couldn't have been Balls of Glitter?"

* * *

She stood in front of the dark, automatic doors. Her heart hammered inside her chest, it felt like it was gonna explode at any second. She was giddy with nerves, and her stomach churned uncomfortably, her muscles tense.

She was dead tired from her latest mission with the turtles, adding to another mission she had to take care of. Her eyes felt heavy, she had minor bruises and a few cuts, nothing she couldn't handle. And her eyes were rimmed red with sleepiness. Her lips were slightly parted, her throat felt dry; when was the last time she had anything to drink?

She intently studied the hand clenched into a fist, looking at the dark chains wrapped around her wrist, the fingerless glove, the Foot Clan symbol charm, and her black painted nails, briefly gazing at the red gems of her rings. The gloves leathery fabric dug into her skin, hardly bothering her. She was used to it by now.

Was it too late to back out now? Yes. Yes it was. She was already here. She had left the note explaining everything to her friends. And she was doing this to help. Besides, she's done this before. She used to be their assassin, wouldn't be any different. So it wouldn't be a big deal, right? She could handle this.

Her face set in unhesitated resolve, with a final sigh, she dared to take a step closer to the entrance, hissing as it slid open.

The room became deathly silent, everyone abruptly halting at what they were doing.

Eyes widened at the entrance of their lair, blinking, unmoving. One boy, Sam, smirked as he regarded the figure, almost chuckling in pleasant surprise.

One man sat in his throne, discolored eyes studying the figure who dared to interrupt his displeased lecture at his two henchmen for yet another failed mission on kidnapping the turtles, not to mention the recent disappearance of his bumbling scientist scampering off without a trace. His brows shot up behind his Kabuto, eyes narrowing.

He recognized her. After all, he's been attempting to find her after all these years. She was his best assassin, and after recently discovering about her certain powers, he could use it as his advantage.

The girl's eyes were blank, no sign of emotion in those royal blue orbs, the rest of her face covered in a black mask. Slowly, very slowly, she strolled into the room.

Everyone got a better look at her. She had rich, light brown skin, midnight colored hair decorated with deep red tiger print highlights, styled in an Aaliyah signature hairdo. She wore a black tube top, a tight, mini horizontal red and black striped skirt, her feet in thigh-high leather boots.

Foot Soldiers and henchmen's muscles tensed, instinctively reaching for weapons as they took a step towards the girl, before their leader halted them with a sharp, "Stop!"

Everyone except for him and the girl flinched, heads turning to him, expressions painted in bewilderment.

The heels on her boots tapped against the clear floor, serving as the only sound in the room. Everyone held in their breaths without even realizing it, frozen in anticipation. What on earth was going on? Why was she here? Who was this girl?

Without warning, the tapping of the heels stopped, and everyone furrowed their brows in confusion, minds running.

He patiently waited, blinking down at the girl a few meters away from him. He looked at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation.

Eyes flickering left and right, locking her gaze with Sam, she sent him a curt nod in greeting. He paused for a moment, surprise briefly taking over his features, before it left as quickly as it had come, nodding back at her.

Looking back up at the armored clad ninja, she ran through her options again. She bit the inside of her cheek, repeatedly blinking, waiting...

Until...

A sly smirk quirked upwards on her rogue lips, eyes blazing in mischief, as she taunted in a sing-song tone.

"I'm _baaaack."_


	21. Enemy of My Enemy

**Jewel's P.O.V.**

Sighing, she nestled deeper into her luxurious, queen-sized bed. The soft, silky fabric of the eggplant colored sheets cooled her warm skin, releasing the tension off her back. She released a breath of relief, closing her eyes in content. Folding her hands behind her head, she snuggled deeper into the soft, soft bed. "Oh yeah. I could definitely get used to this."

A quiet, amused laugh was heard in the room, "Comfy?" asked a male voice.

Peeking one eye open, regarding the boy in her room, sharpening a knife, she nodded once, "Comfy." she affirmed. Comfy. It felt so strange coming from her own lips. Considering the circumstances, she was lucky to be only with a bruise. And she was expecting more than that. But she'd rather enjoy her temporary stay, wanting to live and all that. Plus, she had a test tomorrow morning.

The room was dark, dimmed with minimal lighting _;_ just the way she liked it. She didn't like bright lights. It hurt her eyes, stinging like bees. But she also didn't like no light at all. She still needed to see. Neutral. That was what was in her taste. Not too bright, can still see, and it sent a calming aura around, bringing what little comfort she had left in her.

"Okay, I gotta ask," drawled the nonchalant guest in the room, his knife and sharpener discarded on the table. He crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest, lips twitching, "are you planning anything on us?" he asked curiously with caution,"'Cause, at first, you were all _'I hate Shredder and I'm gonna destroy him'_ " he mocked in a squeaky, high-pitched voice, causing to raise an unimpressed eyebrow, to which he responded with a shrug. "And now you're all in with the Foot. What changed your mind?"

 _Nothing,_ she thought bitterly in her head. She didn't change her mind about any of this. Not in a million years. She hated the Foot Clan. They were dishonest, vindictive, and had no _sliver_ of honor. Fitting considering who their leader is.

But it she had a plan. A pretty good one, if she did say so herself. Tricky, yes, but it might just do the work. She just had to play her cards right. Nothing could be out of place. She had to go in the same direction. One wrong move and she was done. And popular to contrary belief, she happened to like living. Despite all the setbacks in her short life. But she couldn't say any of this to him.

Without sparing him a glance, her eyes still closed, she shrugged into the bed, "I got bored. Tired of living on the streets." she coolly answered without a hint of dishonesty in her voice, like telling a parent that school was good. It was the same tone she used during her little...squabble with the man himself. That hadn't been fun. She knew he suspected something, a lie from her. But she wasn't gonna let him or anybody else figure it out.

"You got bored?" he repeated, face painted in bemusement, tone baffled and disbelieving, "You mean to tell me that you were getting bored living on the streets?" he asked again, seemingly detecting for any type of fib.

She scoffed, almost laughing; too easy, "Um, _yeah."_ she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Wouldn't you get tired of living in a dumpster for all your life?" she asked, her eyes now opened as she slowly sat up, arching her back, cracking the stiff joints in her neck. She was fully paying attention to him, now. And she had to restrain a smirk at his somewhat embarrassed expression.

"Uh, well - I just thought -"

"Thought what?" she interrupted, examining her nails.

"Well, you know!"

She looked up at him again, raising a brow, "I do?"

The boy scoffed, fighting off a laugh. "Yeah! I mean, aren't you a kunoichi or somethin'? From what Tin Head told me, you guys are supposed to be masters of deception." he curled two fingers on both hands in air quotes, chuckling a little.

Tilting her head, a small smile snaked its way to her lips, "You think I'm lying." it wasn't a question, she was stating it. He licked his lips, looking almost frustrated, and he threw his hands up in exasperation. Just like she'd hoped.

"Of _course_ I think you're lying! Why _wouldn't_ I?!"

She bit down her smirk, shrugging one shoulder, expression laid back and uncaring, "Because you trust me." she said simply, igniting a flame on her hand, maneuvering it into a ball and tossing it in both hands, something she learned a while back.

"Jewel, I trust you about as far as I can _throw_ you."

Leaning back into her bed, feeling the soft cushiony pillows, Jewel chuckled lightly. "You trust me, Sam." her fingers combed through the bright, crackling fireball, stretching it now a bit. She saw Sam shake his head out of the corner of her eye. He scoffed again, "No. I don't." he argued.

Averting her attention from the fireball she was stretching it out, she looked at him, the smallest of smirks curling on her lips, "You trust me." she agreed in a gentle tone, looking back down at her flame, now stretching it into a flat square, poking one hand through, curling her fingers into a fist.

She heard Sam protest at the back of his throat, frustrated and confused, until finally, he rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Don't forget you have patrol tonight with Karai." and then he slammed the door shut behind him, and his footsteps faded into her ears.

* * *

 **Leo's P.O.V.**

 _"Yeah, you never know_ what _could sneak up on you!"_

All four turtles froze, eyes widening as they shared a startled glance with one another. That voice, Leo thought to himself. He's heard it before. It replayed all the memories on repeat all over again. Funny. Felt like a lifetime since the last time he's heard her voice. Dismay was simmering at the pit of his gut.

All eyes darted to the dreadful source of the voice, only to find, much to his dismay, the tall armor clad figure of Karai herself. She was standing confidently on the roof of a water tower nearby. A smirk poised her rouge lips, and she leapt off the tower with an elegant flip, landing in a crouch just meters away from the turtles. Straightening, the girl shifted her weight to one side and planted one hand on her hip, regarding them all indifferently even as they drew their weapons, eyeing her with caution.

"Real cute, Karai," Leo muttered flatly with a humorless chuckle. "But I'm not in the mood."

Her smirk unwavering, his only warning, she charged straight for him, her short sword drawn and aimed for his throat. With an annoyed scowl, Leo parried her blow with an X on his swords, metals clinging together, Karai grinning all the while as they fought.

What was her deal? Was she _enjoying_ this? Did she thought that this was some sort of game? Well, _he_ certainly didn't think so. And he does _not_ need any more girl drama on his plate right now.

He backed up a few feet, scowling. "We don't have time for this. Guys!" he called.

His brothers were already on Karai's tail, Mikey jubilantly yelling as he swung his Kusarigama, _"Booyakasha!"_

The young woman hampered a swing of Donnie's Bo staff, leapt her knees to her chest as she hopped herself up on his shell. With a graceful backflip off his shell, she leapt over their heads, inches away from them with an incredulous look on her face that they had never seen before.

" _'Booyakasha'?_ " she repeated with a snicker, no hint of malice or mockery Leo noted as his brothers blinked confusedly at her, "What does that even _mean?"_ Weird. She sounded generally amused. Something Leo usually hears when she's talking to him.

Mikey shrugged, "I dunno. But it's fun to _yell!"_

Unwinding the chains of his kusarigama, Mikey flung it at her with with the intent to trap her. However, before any of their brains could process it, a mysterious figure landed in front of Karai, using their own short blade, catching his chain as they brought it up their leg and stomped it down to the concrete, tugging Mikey towards them. Once he was close enough, they swung their other leg and kicked him straight into the harsh gravel of the roof as he yelled in surprise.

Leo's sapphire eyes widened to dinner plates as he stared at their newest company, nonplussed, at the wielder of the short and razor sharp blade, piercing eyes cold and flat behind the black mask covering their features.

 _"Jewel?!"_ he barked.

The three brothers all wore similar expressions as they all gaped at their friend, appearing out of thin air in the blink of an eye, hardly batting an eye in their direction.

The corner of the girl in question's eye took a glance of Leonardo. She tipped her head once in acknowledgment, expression behind her mask. Without warning, she swung her foot squarely into Raph's gut, hardly giving him any time to put all the pieces together.

Jewel slid her eyes over to her so-called companion behind her. "Mind telling me what we're doing here?" she asked with snippy and deadpan tone, and Leo could clearly tell she was irritated.

Blinking at her once, Leo saw Karai shrug, her red lips quirking up as she seemed to be fighting it, "Our mission, of course. They look like they're doing something pretty important, don't you agree?" Karai simpered. And in response, the young mercenary let out a frustrated groan, slightly muffled by the mask, as well as her voice.

Rolling his eyes, Leo groaned with a shake of his head, a migraine brushing through his skull. "Oh, I _so_ do not have time for any more girl drama right now." he mumbled irritably, readying his sword once more.

Time to end this.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

Both girls ran down the streets as if their lives depended on it - which it did - before stumbling down into a dark alleyway, pressing their backs against the wall just as the ship's detector casted its florescent lights upon the road, scanning for any sign of them. Luckily, it hasn't seemed to notice them, and it moved on to track the turtles down.

The young women both released a sigh of relief, heads fall back against as they panted with exhaustion, adrenaline slowly fading away from their systems. Karai turned her head to look at her companion, raising a brow as she tried on a smile, "Having fun?" she tentatively asked with a hint of hope and nonchalance.

Instead of one of Jewel's witted comebacks she was hoping for, she was rewarded with an eye roll, and an annoyed huff, "Yeah, 'cause almost getting _burned alive_ is _such_ a party," she droned, voice coated with sarcasm, and Karai frowned in disappointment. So much for forgiveness.

Not long after, police sirens rang out quiet loudly, and Jewel bit back a grunt, gingerly rubbing her ears. And Karai immediately remembered with guilt that her ears tended to be a little sensitive ever since...that night. Black and white vehicles drove down the streets, followed by bright lights of the helicopters flying overhead. Someone must've reported a disturbance in the area already, and now all authorities were on high alert.

Jewel forced the ringing in her ears to drown away, and she pushed her ears to catch for any gunshots or megaphones. After about a minute or so, she wagered that both the Kraang and the turtles had long since made their escape. Good. The guys were okay. Well, hopefully. But she had to press that down for now. Emotions couldn't get in the way. But she and Karai had to leave before they were spotted.

Gently - okay, _maybe_ with a little force - she tugged Karai's arm closer to her, shuffling deeper into the alleyway, both girls sharing a look. They nodded in silent agreement, though Jewel seemed a but hesitant to agree with Karai.

They had to tell Shredder about this. _Now._

* * *

After about a half hour, Julia and Karai were kneeling before Shredder, the man in armor himself seated upon that stupid throne. He regarded both girls impassively as usual as they reiterated the events of the night prior to their plight. He didn't look the least bit convinced at their so-called thrilling tale, even with the helmet coating most of his features.

"It's true!" Karai pressed firmly. "The Kraang are plotting an invasion, we saw the ship ourselves! They've got some serious hardware. We've gotta do something before it's _too late!"_

Jewel restrained the urge to bite in a plea from the heathen of the man. She had to pull it all back. As part of their little deal, Jewel had to keep Karai and the soldiers in check, come to training sessions on time, and she couldn't go out unless he said or necessary circumstances. A bit restrictive, but she had to stick to her plan.

But she prayed to the gods that Karai'd managed to get something through that thick, stubborn skull of his. The very world they lived was ending as they knew it. Even _Shredder_ could allow such a dire threat to their very existence to go unheeded, _right?_

Well...that was her hope talking. Her logic, however, knew better.

Shredder said nothing in response at first. The odds seemed to be already stacking against them the longer he remained silent, and it was killing to both girls expense. _"...Father?"_ Karai probed a moment later, slight hope shining in her golden brown eyes.

Finally, finally, after what like an eternity, he said, "We shall proceed as planned."

 _Called it!_ Jewel said in her head.

Karai felt her jaw drop to the squeaky clean floor, staring up at her father incredulously. "But -"

"Tomorrow night," her father continued, abruptly interrupting whatever argument Karai had began to conjure up, "we'll receive a shipment of new weapons. These shall help us put an end to the turtles and Splinter."

 _Are you crazy?!_ Jewel wanted to say, a burst of anger blooming within the very pit of her chest as she grounded her teeth behind her snarling lips, biting back unintelligible curses. Her eyes were blank. Blanker than any of the soldiers mask.

 _He's not_ _serious, is he?_ Linda asked, dubious. _This is a freaking alien invasion you girls are talking about. Can't he just put his revenge plan on hold for a couple of weeks? This is a real life apocalypse we're talking about! Jewel, you must do something. Something to make him see reason. He's a business man for crying out loud!_

Behind the mask, Jewel worried on her bottom lip, wishing she can just burn away all her troubles. Linda was right. She has to do something. The world was about to end soon. Ruled by aliens. This felt like they were in some kind of sci-fi movie. Can't Shredder see the true danger they were about to face anytime soon?

"We can deal with that _later!"_ Karai argued, just as outraged as Jewel was. Why can't her father just _listen?_ "Didn't you listen to a thing I -

She was further silenced as Shredder pounded his fist on the armrest of his throne once. Karai jumped, a knee-jerk reaction, but Jewel on the other hand didn't show any signs of intimidation, other than a subtle twitch of her head.

 _"Karai!"_ Shredder snarled, his deep voice bounding off the walls of the room and ringing in their ears. "You have shared your piece. Now, do as I say," he added with a threatening growl, daring his daughter to go against him.

Of course, Karai wasn't stupid enough to challenge her father's authority more than once, and so she and her former friend bowed their heads, with a little reluctance from Karai.

"Yes, father." Karai muttered under her breath bitterly.

"Understood, Master Shredder," Jewel said in a monotone voice, something Karai was confused about. Didn't she hate Shredder? Why would she listen to a direct order such as that?

Implying to take their leave, both girls stood up as they turned to leave the throne room in silence. Both undoubtedly felt Shredder's eyes following their every move, as if his gaze was scorching very holes into their turned figures, vanishing through the automatic doors.

* * *

Once the doors slid shut behind them, Jewel let out a feral growl, spun on her heel and threw a mighty and solid punch, putting some of her enhanced strength as the walls shook and creating a rather large hole in the concrete. Panting with anger, she jerked her hand from the deep hole she had created, flexing her fingers as her hand started to steam and ignite in a small blaze in her palm.

Karai, quite awestruck from the scene she'd just witnessed, whistled, "Wow. That's, um, that's quiet the fist you have there." she commented, pretty impressed, "How does it work? The fire thing?" she asked with genuine curiosity, stretching her neck as she stared at the hand on fire.

Without giving her a second glance, Jewel shrugged indifferently, her temper flaring, "No idea." was all she said. Her tone was quiet with a hint of vexation, colder than ice.

 _Nice to know_ you _never changed,_ Karai thought sarcastically to herself. Least she wasn't the one with a hole in her body. Actually, she was surprised Jewel hadn't melted her or strangled her to death so far. Maybe she was slowly forgiving her?

Yeah. Not possible.

Crossing her arms, burying down her rage, Karai huffed. She wanted to know. She needed to know how bad it was.

"So, um, how does it work?" she slapped herself for stammering. She was a kunoichi. A top-notch assassin. Shredder's daughter. It was her job to be nonchalant and confident.

"Didn't I just say I don't know?" Jewel snapped irritably, glaring at Karai, who noted the smoke starting to form around her, but it was hardly noticeable.

Wrong question to ask. Differnt approach.

"I meant about the, uhh..." she trailed off, and she searched for a million ways to say this. But what? Craziness? Electrocution of the brain? What's it like being a looney bin? Those just sounded ridiculous.

Jewel continued to look at her, eyes expectant, her brow raised behind the black mask. She narrowed her eyes slowly in suspicion and realisation took a while to finally dawn on her.

Oh. Karai wanted to know how her mental capacity worked. Easy.

Nodding slowly, Jewel let out an exhausted sigh, running a hand through her hair, "Well, if you must know, it's a bit complex." she answered, searching for the right words. Karai nodded, waiting patiently.

"Nothing permenant," except for Linda, but she wasn't telling Karai that, "my hormones just kicked in earlier. And for a few months I've had some...very odd desires. Like eating a cat. But it kinda...I don't know. I got a handle on them now. And it faded away. But my extra hormones come every once in a while." she explained, finishing off with a shrug, "So I'm basically healed." she smirked.

Karai nodded, pursing her lips. She hummed in thought. She didn't really know what else to say. A million words hung off her head. There was just so many of them. And it weighed heavily on her guilty mind. And her conscience wasn't clear enough. Not for her. But she didn't know what freaking words she could use.

She should've done something. _Should've._ What a word. A simple contraction. The forming of the two words, should and have. She could use it for any sentence. It was a word she would regret. And she lost a valued friend because of it.

She didn't realize she was so deep in thought that she didn't notice that Jewel was saying something to her. With an abrupt pause, her eyes narrowed, Jewel snapped her fingers in front of her face, "Yo? You still with me?"

Karai flinched in surprise and glanced back at the no doubt frowning girl, tapping a finger against her bicep impatiently with dull, flat eyes. "Uh, yeah." she cleared her throat forcefully, "Yeah, I'm still with you. What were you saying again?"

Eyes looking up and down, Jewel repeated her words, "I said you gotta be up early on Saturday for training." she sounded a bit irritated, "Your _daddy_ said you gotta help me train some new recruits."

At the mention of her father, Karai felt her anger boil over again. And she glared fiercely at Jewel, "How can you think about _training_ at a time like _this?!"_ she yelled, appalled.

Jewel shrugged uncaringly, "Well, for starters, it's kinda important to teach the recruits about dis -"

 _"Screw the recruits!_ Don't you get it? Have you not been listening back in the throne room?!" she hissed, sharply gesturing to the door. Jewel rolled her eyes, huffing in exasperation, "Yes, I did, Karai. I was listening word-for-word." she mocked with a condescending tone, as if she was speaking to a five year old. And Karai did not appreciate that.

Growling, Karai gritted through clenched teeth, "Then you should know we can't just sit by and do nothing!" she seethed, knuckles paling under her gloves. Again, Jewel rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest, "I know that, you idiot." she deadpanned in a tone flatter than board. "But there's nothing we can do."

But suddenly, an interesting thought came to Jewel's mind. And a smirk curled her lips. "Well, there is _one_ thing." she said with a certain mischievous tone Karai was all too familiar with.

And that brought her attention. She crossed her arms with a smirk, "I'm listening."

* * *

"I doubt _Shredder_ would agree."

"Shredder is stubborn and short-sighted!" Karai snapped, rolling her eyes skyward. "He drives us _crazy._ His stupid vendetta is gonna take us _all_ down. He may not be able to see it, but I know _you_ do."

Beside Karai, Jewel nodded in reluctant agreement. "Come on, Lion Boy. You have more sense than anyone I know. Don't you trust me?" she pressed, gesturing to herself. And Leo's glare softened just a tad.

Of course he trusted Jewel. He trusted her with his life. Despite his brothers protests (Raph), he was trusting Jewel with this little plan of hers. He had to admit, it was detailed and thorough, but incredibly dangerous and at a high-risk level. But he trusted her even if she held a sword at his throat, feelings or not.

He trusted Jewel. He knew he did. But he couldn't trust Karai. Not anymore.

Unlike Jewel, who absolutely loathed being in the Foot Clan and made it clear she wanted Shredder dead with a passion hotter than her and her pyrokinesis, Karai willingly embraced her role as one of his little servants. Until now it seems. But even if she did, as leader of the team, he couldn't take the risk trusting her. He didn't know whether or not she would turn on them all.

"What do you say? Work together for now?" Karai asked him, holding her hand out for him to shake.

I can't trust you, he thought to himself dissapointedly.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked back up to the young women, awaiting his answer.

"Sorry, girls."

And he leapt off the rooftop, Karai and Jewel staring after him in obvious disappointment.

* * *

 **Leo's P.O.V.**

"So, I should trust my instincts, unless my instincts are _wrong,"_ Leonardo clarified, sounding very uncertain as Splinter walked away, hands calmly clasped behind his back.

Pausing to look over his shoulder once more, his father nodded, "Correct." he said. Without another word - most importantly, no hint - he slipped back into his room, sliding the doors shut, leaving April and his sons staring after him in perplexity.

Leo processed and repeated Splinter's words over and over. Nope. He didn't get it. How was he supposed to trust his instincts and not trust them at the same time? Isn't that impossible? Jeez. Splinter gave the weirdest advice sometimes.

"... _uuhhh_... _thanks,_ Sensei?" he shrugged, shaking his head as he furrowed his nonexistent brows.

" _Whooooaaa_...you know it's good advice when you're _still_ confused afterwards," Mikey breathed in awe.

 _Can't argue with that logic,_ Leo wearily thought to himself.

"Guys, seriously," Raphael interjected firmly, "an alliance with Karai? No way! Why are we even _talking_ about this?"

Turning to Raph, Leo raised a brow, frowning, "And what about Jewel?" he asked, "Don't we trust her already?"

Raph's eyes narrowed at his older brother, and he crossed his arms with a sour pout, "We can't take that chance, Fearless." he argued with his hardened edge tone. "Jewel's been lying to us since we met her. She didn't tell us she was a mercenary. She never told us she used to be an assassin. Oh yeah, and here's the other thing. She never told us she was in the freaking Foot!" he almost screamed, pausing in his rant to take a breath.

Leo continued to stare at his brother blankly, waiting for him to finish. He knew Raph wasn't done. Not yet.

Raph scowled, green eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry, Leo," he said, his voice losing its hardened edge. "I know how much you really like Jewel. I really do. But you're gonna have to face the facts. Whether you believe it or not, she's gonna turn on us. We can't trust her."

Leo frowned, ocean eyes downcast lowering to the carpet floor. He stared into nothing but space, half listening to whatever babble excuse Donnie was making, no doubt fooling himself in front of April. But he hardly paid any mind.

Leo trusted Jewel. He did. But Raph did make a good point. She lied to them for weeks. Lied about being a mercenary. About the Foot. Everything. She used to sneak out of the lair. And whenever Leo woke up and asked her where she was going, she'd lie and tell him to some photo shoot. It was just too much for him and everyone else to get over.

A part of him didn't want to believe it. But that was the cold, hard truth. He shouldn't trust Jewel. But he did. And he didn't know whether or not he'd regret it.

* * *

 **No One's P.O.V.**

Jewel had to admit. She hadn't seen any of this coming.

After the initial shock had worn off, she'd hurried over to where Shredder and Sam were to make sure both were alright. Shredder had hurried off, coming after for the turtles, and she had to fight back the urge. She couldn't protect them. Not for now.

Sam seemed to be fine. Apart from singed parts of his hair and clothing, and she wondered for a second if he was resistant to electricity or not, considering his powers. She didn't get burned from any type of fire. Just last week she had ran through a burning building back in Japan. And she felt fine. As if she was in the fresh air.

Karai had been, to put it bluntly, totally enraged. Mostly at Leonardo. And from what she would tell, someone was going to have a blade through them. And she didn't blame her.

A small part of her almost felt proud. Proud that Shredder's cruel reign was going to be put through an end. That she didn't have to serve in this sinkhole. She hated the ninja master with a passion. She wanted to strangle the living life out of him. Watch those cold, dead eyes fade away into nothingness. Burn him into nothing but a crisp. Watch his ashes float away like a bad dream...

Narrowing her brilliant eyes as she stared down at the brown, wooden floor, Jewel scowled deeply. Jewel's done some pretty shady stunts during her life. Skipping school, pranks on innocent classmates, sneaking in a snake into a teachers drawer. You name it. But the turtles? No way. Not in a million years. She would have never believed them of all people would stoop so low. She had thought everything was going to go according to plan. But now they had just sacrificed Karai's trust.

Just then, Sam stirred, groaning in pain as he sat up and rubbed his aching head with a hand. Averting her attention back to him, she placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Yo, Sam? You okay?" she asked.

Sam groaned as he rubbed his hand through his hand, wincing as he blinked the spots out of his vision, letting out what sounded like a sigh and a huff. "Think so." his hoarse voice answered. "What the heck happened back there?"

Grabbing his wrist as she helped him back to his feet, "The turtles," she answered with a bite, "they'd tried to take out Shredder from the shadows, I think. Karai and Tin Head went after them. And I had to save your scrawny butt." she explained with a certain tease in her voice, lips twitching.

Sam's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of the turtles, and his brown eyes narrowed in distaste, "Seriously?" he asked in slight exasperation.

Jewel nodded once, smirking under her mask, "Seriously." she confirmed.

 _"Father!"_ someone screamed from a good distance.

Blinking in surprise, the pair snapped their heads in the voice's direction. Before either could realize it, Karai wasted no time as she dived into the ocean after Shredder.

Sam and Jewel watched as Karai disappeared beneath the waves, and Sam visibly tensed, "I don't think they'll make it far. The water's too deep," he observed worriedly, concerned eyes darting to the waves.

He was right. Karai was a strong swimmer, but the waves were strong. Too strong. And as part of the deal, Jewel had to protect her and Shredder. And she had to stay on track. Though the thought of both drowning to their deaths was tempting...

Shaking the thought away, she sighed heavily, running to the edge of the dock, positioning herself to dive in, but then...she paused.

She turned her head, and stared at the form of Leonardo. Blue eyes stared into one another. So many emotions swirled into them. Their minds spun and reeled in each. So many things had to be said. But it didn't seem to be enough. A million letters bubbled in their brains. But the words couldn't come out and be said.

Frowning, Jewel slightly shook her head up at him, eyes lighting in disappointment, and she shrugged. And dove in after Karai and Shredder, her tall and slender form vanishing into the waves, the murky depths deathly silent with the cold wind. Like a bad dream fading away. Forgotten.


	22. Karai's Vendetta

**BPP: Okay, since we only got one vote on the whole Jewel's voice poll, we finally resolved our little conflict.**

 **Div: And by "resolve" she means the coin flip failed me along with the reviewer.**

 **BPP: And so, we changed Jewel's voice actor. It only made sense since her design is based on her.**

 **Aaliyah (RIP Baby Girl) as the voice of Jewel.**

 **BPP: I like to think of it as MY tribute to her.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **April's P.O.V.**

Despite the chipper smile etched onto her face, April's mind felt heavy, like a bag of bricks fell on top of her brain. She weaved her way through the bustling crowd of New Yorkers, shouldering her messenger bag.

From what she'd gather from Donnie's quick summary of their last mission, they had lost their alliance with Karai, and quite possibly, Jewel's trust.

April didn't know Karai. Only that she was a highly skilled kunoichi, a former friend of Jewel's, and apparently, Shredder's daughter. Yikes.

But April knew Jewel. And honestly, she wasn't sure what to feel about Jewel.

She never understood her or anything, but she always had a feeling about her. It was one of those things she felt at the back of her mind, like she knew the answer, she knew it was around somewhere. But she couldn't find it.

April just had a sense about Jewel. When she had first met her, she had thought Jewel was a bit...harsh. And blunt. She always went straight to the point, never beating around the bush. She didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. And she always played by her own rules.

But April got to know her better. Jewel was more than that. She wasn't just a cut-throat, deadly model, she was just a teenager. Like April herself. She had her own fears, her own insecurities, and a lot of responsibility piled all over her plate. And she's been through a lot. April could tell.

Jewel was more than a pretty face. She had potential. She was sweet and kind in her own way. April knew this. She always had a sense about these things.

April trusted Jewel. She really did. But she never knew why, but she'd always been afraid to take any lessons from her. And she regretted it. Jewel was a kunoichi. Highly skilled. Highly deadly. She knew more than April did. April was just a beginner. A novice.

But she never knew why she had always been afraid from a quick training lesson. Maybe it was because Jewel didn't go easy on anybody? Maybe. She didn't know. She only gathered bits and pieces from what Leo had told her, his eyes admiring as she flipped over with fluidity and grace. Natural. Something April wanted to achieve as a kunoichi.

It'd always seemed so easy for Jewel. How she moved. She was deadly and fierce, but smooth and elegant. And her moves were faster now thanks to her powers. Lucky duck.

She fought the urge to sigh, to groan in exasperation, instead gripping a hand to the strap of her messenger bag. Leonardo had to deal with a livid Karai. And possibly risked Jewel's trust. Something that was impossible to win back. Jewel was stubborn as a bull. But even she had her honor, and she wasn't keen on the idea of being betrayed.

Life was too complicated sometimes.

The turtles had another mission. Kraang again. They had ventured to the depths of the East River, halting another stop to their plans. April would've loved to join them. She was itching for something to do. But, unfortunately, she was still a teenager, who was still in high school.

She had an essay due on Monday morning, and she'd put it off long enough. She was already falling behind in a few of her classes, and she needed to maintain her 3.2 GPA. But it was a normalcy right now, it kept her mind off of everything. Especially after that weird Kraang water mysteriously hadn't burned her skin off. Weird.

In the meanwhile, a little pizza gyoza before she started writing couldn't hurt, right?

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

To say Jewel was annoyed would be an understatement. She was peeved. And a little hungry. But mostly pissed.

She and Karai had to hunt down the little princess that was April O'Neil. And it felt wrong. April was her friend. A good friend. One friend that remained constant in her life. Just like Gwen. Not that she and April were close like she was with Gwen and Clara, but she knew a lot about her.

April seemed like a very different friend type than Gwen and Clara. Clara was her go-to girl for weapons or cash, someone to bond over the juvenile portions of society. And Gwen was like her sister. The only person who really understood her. Gwen knew what ticked her off, and she knew how to handle it. Gwen could keep up with her little quirks and quips. April was the more sentimental friend. The friend you would have when they try to make you more open with your feelings. Whether it was about school, your past, etc.

She didn't want to hurt April. And she wasn't going to. She was only there to observe. And then she would leave and join Sam for a mission back in Japan. But she felt guilty. April was getting better, from what she observed during her training, but she was nowhere near her and Karai's level. That took time and dedication. She just hoped April could catch on to the trap.

Sighing, she pushed back her thoughts and the guilt, now wasn't the time to get emotional over a friend. April's smart, she could take care of herself. And Jewel was gonna count this as payback, since the princess refused her help with her training. Besides, she had another job to do.

Makeup.

Jewel was good with that. She liked to consider herself an expert on makeup. She's been using it since she was eleven.

People didn't think she needed makeup, since she was naturally gorgeous without it. _Kiss ups_. She used to wear minimal makeup. An appropriate amount of eyeshadow and mascara, with some dabs of lipstick that was a good match with her skin tone. But now she wore makeup identical to Karai's. Not too surprised. She came up with that makeup style, Karai just liked it and decided to wear it. Copy Cat. Jewel liked wearing makeup, it was a way to disguise herself. To be a different person. A person to focus on. And she didn't know who she really was.

She could transform into another person in a matter of minutes.

She fished through her makeup bag, retrieving all her contents. She dabbed moisturizer on her neck and face, blending it in for her skin tone. She applied a darker brown foundation, making her skin darker. She couldn't let April recognize her. She's always said Jewel strongly resembled Aaliyah. Jewel took it as a compliment. She loved her music.

She dabbed some concealer on her, before reaching for her eyelash curler, along with a pair of big and fluffy fake lashes. Carefully gluing them on her lids, she began to curl them slowly, setting it aside as she gripped for her mascara. She stroked each lash slowly, defining ever single lash. The bigger the lashes, the bigger her eyes looked. She colored in her eyebrows a dark brown, before powdering some blush on her cheeks, giving them a rosy tint.

She blended in some lipstick colors. They were all a variety of red. Dark red to light red. After she was done coloring her lips a bold ruby color, she added some black eyeliner, penciling it a unique and futuristic design. She mixed an ombre of colors for her eyeshadow. She applied white, light blue, a regular blue, then back to white. She wanted to add a futuristic feel to it.

Shoving her makeup products back in her bag, she carefully slipped in her brown eye contacts. Swiftly turning to her closet, she plucked a baby blue shopping bag Nicole had bought for her last week. _Thank you Nicole,_ she thanked her friend in her mind. Nicole just _loved_ to go shopping. She was always the extravagant one. Always insisting for the best and only the best.

She undressed herself of her clothes, reaching for the large bag. She peered at the articles of clothing. She quirked a brow in mild interest. Huh. They didn't look half bad, and they seemed to fit the rebellious side of her. A pair of ripped black jeans, dark brown combat boots, a black tank top with a skull and crossbones on the front, and a bold violet cropped leather jacket. She also saw a pair of black fingerless biker gloves.

"Hm. Not bad." she said to herself aloud, pulling out the contents as one by one she slipped the clothing on. She rolled her shoulders as she flexed her fingers in the familiar fabric, her face blank.

Few seconds later, thanks to enhanced speed, Jewel _finally_ got a good look of herself in the mirror.

And she smirked. "Showtime."

* * *

 **April's P.O.V.**

"Hm. This is new." she mused aloud, furrowing her brows in confusion. "What _is_ this thing?"

She was so engrossed at staring hopelessly at the machine that she didn't notice the footsteps approaching from behind. And a dark clad figure suddenly stood beside her.

"Oh, that's how you order."

Partly startled, April looked up at the figure. It was an Asian girl that looked to be around her age. She was clothed in a dark jacket and faded blue jeans, with earrings and dark makeup to match, and the bottom of her hair was dyed. She took out a coin from her pocket, inserting it into the machine before pressing one of the buttons. A wooden chip came out, "They have these in Tokyo," she explained, bending down as she picked up her chip, showing it to April. "You give these to the chef."

She blinked once, a little confused that this girl seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and the thought reminded her of Jewel, before a relieved smile was returned. "Oh, thanks." she said, taking out out her own coin and popping it into the machine. She pressed the button with 'pizza gyoza' on it, and picked up her chip and stood. She rubbed her thumb over it. It looked pretty cool. It was an easier way for Murakami to understand what his customers wanted, since he was blind. Smart.

"Mind if we join you?" the girl asked, shrugging a shoulder, looking as if she was shy or embarrassed to ask -

Wait. _We?_

Furrowing her brows in confusion, April opened her mouth to speak, before a throat that wasn't from the girl cleared. And April felt her brows shoot up to her hairline as she peered at the new girl with them, silent as a rock...or something.

She was African American, maybe around their age too, and she had the biggest brown eyes April had ever seen. They seemed to pop with her futuristic blue eyeshadow, her ruby lips settled into a neutral frown. Her makeup reminded April of Left Eye's from the _No Scrubs_ video. She had purple hair, a white and black bandanna covering the top of her head. She had dark clothes, the purple seemed to really stand out.

There was something... _familiar_ about her. April couldn't pinpoint what it was. But there was _something._

The girl nodded her head at her in greeting, offering a half smile. Clearing the familiar thoughts from her mind, April managed a smile to greet her. No need to be rude. Maybe she just saw her at a store and didn't even know.

April nodded encouragingly at the two of them, "Sure. Why not?" she said, leading them to the shop, catching eye contact with the other girl. Her brown eyes stared intently at April's blue eyes. There was something odd about her eyes. They looked big and innocent, like a dog's, but they also seemed to be...tainted? No. Something else. It was on the tip of her tongue. There was something familiar about this girl. April just didn't know _what._

Oh well. She supposed there was nothing to worry about. These girls seemed harmless. And a little company couldn't hurt.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

It took all of Jewel's willpower to keep it together. Really, this was all too easy.

Well, to be fair, Jewel was already a master of manipulation. She could easily evade even the brightest of minds. _Especially_ people her age. Adults were easy, too. But Splinter and her father were a serious challenge for her, and Shredder was difficult. But she could manage him, she just had to improvise.

Unfortunately for April, she was still a beginner, and she was too nice. Oh well. She was gonna have to learn one way or another. And only Karai could pound it out of her. Jewel would, but she'd rather not deal with Donnie's wrath, and she had to leave very soon.

April grinned, "Is this your first time in America, Imani?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

They were currently waiting for Murakami to serve them their dishes. He seemed a bit hesitant to serve Karai's, and Jewel couldn't blame him. She was a vegetarian, the thought of eating animals sickened her to her very core, and she had to fight back the urge to gag.

'Imani' nodded, smiling, "Yes, indeed I am. I've only ever lived in one place all my life. You cannot imagine how much I have always wanted to explore America. It is a truly fascinating country." Jewel answered in her thick, African accent. Seriously, Jewel deserved an Oscar. This was truly the role of a lifetime.

April giggled, nodding back, "I'm sorry, but I just really like your accent. It's so exotic and I've never heard anything like it before. What's Africa like?" she asked pleasantly, leaning forward in interest, and Karai stared back and forth at the two of them, her expression pleasant.

Imani shrugged. "Eh. It is not exactly what tourists believe it to be, but it's no norm either. It is actually quite beautiful in a few places. But the weather is much to be desired." she answered, offering April a kind smile.

"Wow," April breathed in awe, laughing quietly, "I guess I'll have to take your word for it. It sounds interesting." she commented brightly, turning her head away from Imani. While April wasn't looking, Karai locked eyes with her, nodding as she smirked, most likely impressed. And Jewel shrugged as if to say _'I know.'_

Before anything else could be said, Jewel's phone buzzed. Shifting slightly in her seat, she slid the phone out of her back pocket, quietly reading the message.

 _Time's up. Outside._

Tucking the phone back, Jewel turned back to April, "Apologies, April, but my friend just informed me her car had broken down. And I have to pick up my son." she excused, rising from her seat.

Blinking in surprise, her brows shot up, "Wait. You have a son?" she asked in surprise.

 _Whoops._ Well, time to improvise. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that. Yes, I do have a son. His name is Andre and he's a very sweet boy. He should be turning four next month," she lied through her teeth, smiling fondly at the thought of her supposed son. What? She liked the name Andre. And he wasn't even real. Jewel wasn't _that_ kind of girl.

April's surprised face melted into a sweet smile. " _Aww._ " she cooed, "He sounds adorable, Imani."

Imani giggled, nose twitching, "He is. It was nice meeting you April."

"You too. Bye."

Imani grinned, "Goodbye." _Good luck._

* * *

 **April's P.O.V.**

" _Turtle_ soup."

April gasped, her blue eyes widened in horror, and her hand shook.

 _"...Karai."_ she whispered.

She slid her gaze to the girl that sat beside her, wearing a devilish grin that seemed to suit her.

"In person," Harmony - no, _Karai_ \- said, lifting her chin from her hand as she stared at April, like a snake would watch its' next victim before it struck their venomous jaws at it.

Swallowing thickly, April dropped the spoon into the bowl, slipped off the stool and took several and cautious steps backwards. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, and she was fairly certain her skin had turned white as snow, maybe paler.

Karai stood up and faced April. Before, as Harmony, she had been relaxed, almost shy, until they started talking. And she had grew more confident, animated. And her eyes and smile had been kind, inviting, and curious. And her friend had been nice, too. Imani seemed like a sweet African girl. The strange in the city. And she had a son. But the question was - if Harmony was Karai, then who was Imani -?

Oh god.

 _Jewel._

It had all made so much sense now. April _knew_ there was something off about her. Something stranger in her large chocolate orbs. April should have seen it coming! It was Jewel the whole time! But it didn't sound like Jewel. Jewel wasn't even African, sure, African American, yeah, but that was because her mom was Brazilian! And her eyes were blue! It - oh god, she had been played. April had been played like a fool. Why didn't Jewel warn her? Or gave her a hint?

And now she was in _trouble._

* * *

 **Leo's P.O.V.**

In the midst of all the chaos circling around him, _thanks a lot, Donnie,_ he faintly heard his T-Phone vibrate. Who could be calling him right now? Their mission had just gone awry, since Donnie apparently couldn't learn how to put his phone on vibrate, and he and his brothers now had to fend off the droids. He really, _really_ hated these things.

With a frustrated sigh, he took out his phone and quickly answered, not bothering to look up who it was. "Hello?" he called over the sound of firing blasters and robots being torn to pieces - namely by Raph - as he pressed his phone to his ear.

 _"Well if it isn't my favorite leader in blue,"_ came Jewel's relaxed, nonchalant greeting. She had to call him _now_ of all times?

He nearly blanched, slicing a droid from the hip to the shoulder, flipping over another blast, "You had to call me _now?! Are you kidding me?!_ As much as I enjoy our talks, now is _not_ a good time!" he yelled.

 _"Do I detect annoyance in your tone, Lion Boy?"_ asked her condescending voice, teasing as ever, and he didn't doubt she was smirking her lips off. _"Tsk. Didn't Splinter ever tell you to tame your patience? Aren't you supposed to be leader?"_

"What do you want Jewel?!" he panted, now maneuvering himself in the air, towards Donnie, who suddenly screeched to a halt.

A sigh, _"Fine. If you wanna take the fun out of it, I guess you should know Karai's after April. And I'm guessing she's either dead or running for her life. And now I gotta go. Oh, and I'm still mad at you for backstabbing me at the docks. Not cool."_ and then she hung up.

Before he could process it all, he grunted in pain as he was barreled into Donnie from the side, one hand still gripping one sword, and both tumbled onto the floor, saving them from another laser blast. Did Jewel really have to be so blunt?

Leo's irritated and concerned ocean blue eyes looked down at his younger brother for any injuries. However, Donnie diverted his attention to his phone as he held it up to him. "Karai's after April! We've gotta help her!" he cried.

 _I know,_ he wanted to retort, but now wasn't the right time. And they didn't have any time to rescue April! There were depths into the ocean. And they would too late by then. He'd just have to pray she managed to escape the likes of Karai.

Yeah. Unlikely. But it couldn't hurt to hope, right?

"And who's gonna help _us?!"_ he barked.

* * *

 **Jewel's P.O.V.**

Jewel huffed through her nose, folding her arms over her chest as she shifted in her seat. Her face was blank like an unwritten essay paper, her eyes conveyed no emotion, and her lips were a thin line, like an envelope. The getaway truck reeked with fabric softener and pizza, and her nose wrinkled in distaste. _Ugh, why does every teenage boy I know loves pizza so much?_ She asked herself. It's pizza, what's the big deal? There _are_ other foods. Like roasted asparagus or tomato penne salad with goat cheese. Now _that's_ what she calls a meal. It was healthy, it gave her enough energy, and it wouldn't easily make her tired every second.

It was just her and Sam for this mission. It was simple enough, they wouldn't need backup. And they were both enhanced. Sam could easily blend in with his powers, and Jewel was faster than the speed of light, so she could outrun them. Plus she was a ninja, it was her job to blend in the shadows. She was trained by the best.

They were almost done; tonight it had been _too easy_ for her. It was actually kind of boring. She liked challenges, those challenges gave her a sense of adventure, something for her to do, and she didn't have to _think._ Thinking about everything and nothing hurt her head.

Sam was currently in the building, dark windows erased the setting inside, she couldn't see a thing. She didn't think she'd needed a partner for this mission. Shredder had sent her on solo missions before and she came out okay. But to be honest, she was _kinda_ enjoying his company. Sure Sam was annoying as hell, he never shuts up, and he was a complete imbecile, but he made up for it with his skills. She couldn't complain, he just seemed so laid back about everything. He was a little funny, but only because his jokes weren't always as stupid as Mikey's, though Jewel _did_ enjoy Mikey's jokes, she was starting to miss them, actually.

She tilted her head, furrowing her brows as she mused to herself, _Huh. Maybe I spent too much time with the turtles._

Shaking her head of the thought, she quickly took out her T-Phone. She hasn't checked it in over a week, she was still mad at the guys. They went behind her back, she didn't care if Karai felt betrayed or if Shredder had actually died, she could get over that, but she couldn't get over the fact the turtles went back on their words. They made a deal. They shook on it. Why did they have to screw things up? They all had one goal: Take down the Kraang. They could've taken care of Saki _later._ How could they betray her?

Guess it doesn't matter anymore, she wasn't talking to them, not for now at least. But that didn't mean she didn't care about them, but she was never gonna tell them that, it's a stain to her ego. She read some texts and updates they sent her about the Kraang. One recent text over an hour ago, something about...a hormonal, giant alien... _sea monster?_

 _What the...?_

She shook her head again dismissively, she doesn't wanna know. Ignorance was bliss.

A small smile broke her lips when Leo texted her April was okay, having escaped from Karai's tyranny. Huh. The little princess _actually_ evaded Karai. Good for her. And her smile melted into a smug smirk, mischief gleaming her dark blue eyes, _Oh, I am SO gonna have fun with this._ she cheered, her smirk growing at the thought. And the comment Lion Boy texted her about April's face blown up like a balloon; he knew her too well. And looks like Karai's evening was just ruined.

Her other phone dinged beside her, resting on Sam's vacated seat, and she quickly read the text, eyes focused.

 _You're up._

Nodding, she tucked both phones in the glove compartment, securing the lock with one of her keys. She adjusted the rearview mirror a bit, looking over herself as she checked her new makeup. She gazed at the light smokey eyeshadow, bold mascara, and the nude lipstick, a slight pink pigment to it, slight and visible. She smirked, shrugging to herself. Natural enough, and before you ask, yes, it is Aaliyah inspired. But she liked it, get over it.

She ran her slender fingers through her full and glossy hair, brushing her left side bangs just a little, shifting her jean jacket, slipping on her mom's black rimmed glasses, and changing her shoes into her simple black heels. She then reached into the back pocket of her jeans, and pulled out a gold ring with a small, simple diamond in the center.

She got out of the car, and ran at a respectable, worried pace to the office building, guards posted in front, standing strong and firm. She waved her arm for their attention, running up to them as she yelled, almost hysterically.

"Guards!" the young woman yelled, waving her arm as she made her voice break for added effect. "Guards!"

All men in black turned their attention to the woman running up to them, approaching as her eyes shone with unshed tears, distraught as they regarded her warily. She stopped in front of them, seemingly out of breath.

One spoke, cocking a brow, "What seems to be the problem, ma'am?" his deep voice asked, hands folded in front of him in an intimidating manner, and the girl almost rolled her eyes. And she continued to pant. And she swallowed hard, before attempting to speak, "It's my son, h-he wandered off earlier when we were over at the supermarket across from here...and, uh, I-I don't know what happened, but he just - he - I-I've been looking for over an _hour_ for him! And I-I don't know what else to do. I've been calling the police, and he's only four. I gave them his name, age, our address," she forced a sob to work up her throat, her voice breaking, "And I don't know what else to do." she whimpered.

Tears spilled over her cheeks with a force stronger than Vader's, and her face crumpled as she cried quietly. Just as she'd predicted, the guards rushed over to the 'distraught mother'. How pathetic. These men were leaving their post just to tend and comfort the supposed damsel in distress. Luckily for her, she didn't need any tending to. This was all just an act.

"Do you know where your son could have wandered off to, miss?" one asked her softly, his hand resting on her shoulder. She shook her head miserably, sniffling, "The toy store's too far from here, and he doesn't really like any of the ones in this part of the city." she whimpered. He nodded softly, his hand flying to his visible earpiece. "What's your son's name, ma'am?" he asked.

She swallowed, voice cracking, "Andre." she stammered, folding her arms tightly.

"Alright, come with me, please."

She nodded furiously, following after him as he ushered her inside the building. She noticed some of the guards watched her warily, suspicious, and she couldn't really blame them. She didn't look old enough to be a mom, and the makeup didn't really help very much. Her skin was soft, so the makeup would blend in with it perfectly, and she hated that.

He guided her through the dark and plush leather couches sitting in a friendly manner, luminescent lights bathed the room in gold. Receptionists desks were lined up in the front, typing away in paper thin computers. The whole looked very professional. And Jewel sat in the arm chair, a green potted plant sitting beside it. The guard softly told her he would be right back, heading to one of the receptionists.

Her small earpiece, invisible to anyone who didn't pay close attention, crackled in her ear.

 _"You, pretty lady, deserve an Oscar."_ said Sam's somewhat impressed voice. And she couldn't help but agree with him.

Maybe she should be an actress when she grows up.


	23. The Pulverizer Returns!

Jewel sat in her bed, dressed in nothing but a dark blue strapless crop top, dull grey sweat pants, and white ankle socks, her hair still in the same Aaliyah ombre hairdo. She was sketching in her notepad when she heard a soft knock at her window, to her right.

Furrowing her brows in confusion, _who could that be?_ She walked over to her window when she saw nothing, sliding it open soundlessly. She leaned a little closer, hands on her window sill as she scanned the city streets left and right. She looked down in incertaintidue, pursing her lips. "Weird." she muttered under her breath, the bustling city jingling.

As the kunoichi was about to close her window, a large green hand clutched her wrist, catching her by surprise as Jewel's muscles tensed beneath her flesh. She looked up to meet sincere ocean blue eyes, gleaming in amusement at the sight of her expression, a smug smile on his annoying face.

"Well, well, well." he mocked, "Guess we've figured out who's the best in stealth," he simpered as he chuckled, his smirk widening when her eyes slowly narrowing, her cheeks warming just a bit as she glared at him. Jewel clenched her jaw, fingers curling into a fist before she violently jerked her wrist from his hand.

Leonardo held his hands up in defense, his eyes softened, the smug smirk tugging back into a kind smile, "I'm kidding," he said, " _I_ may be the best at stealth, which I totally am, but at least you're the strongest." he offered.

The young gymnast huffed through her nose, crossing her arms as she regarded him with an indifference look, "What do you want Lion Boy?" she demanded, her voice cold and hard, "As you can see, I'm kinda in the middle of something right now." she sneered.

Instead of frowning like she hoped he would, Leonardo shrugged as his face looked laid and relaxed, like he didn't have a care in the world. "I just wanted to show you something is all. I wanted to make it up to you after...well, you know," he faltered with a nervous laugh, one hand rubbing his neck sheepishly as his gaze slid from her, cheeks reddening. Now _that's_ the Lion Boy she knew.

She rose a skeptical brow at him, her calculating royal blue eyes looking at him up and down. She tilted her head, "How are you standing here? This building is like five stories high, and I'm on the third floor." she asked him, confusion dripping.

Meeting her calculating gaze again, Leo forced a smile as he pointed one finger down. Her brows meeting, Jewel leaned in a little more forward, her gaze travelling down at where he was pointing. And despite herself, a laugh full of disbelief left her lips.

Leo's legs wobbled as his two feet stood on top of Donatello's shoulders, hands gripping his brother's feet like a vice. Donnie's own legs wobbled as Raphael held them, and Mikey supporting Raph's. And Gwen supported Mikey's feet, Clara steadied Gwen's, and a car and the Shellraiser were at the bottom as Clara stood on top of the black car. They all seemed to be out of breath and very annoyed, adding to Jewel's amusement.

Jewel looked back at Leo, smiling, "No freaking way." she laughed, "You seriously got all of them to stand on top of each other, on a five story building, just to come and _apologize_ to me?" she asked in amused disbelief, her eyes crinkling.

Leo let out a light chuckle, shrugging a shoulder shyly, "I also wanted to show you somehting."

"Was that it?"

He shook his head, smirking at her now, "I've got something better." he said, mischief dancing in his stormy eyes. And she couldn't help but find it...intriguing. And now she kinda wanted to ask him what he meant by that. She was curious, and she hated not knowing things. Knowing things was in her nature. But her father trained her to be patient, so she supposed she could manage even when Lion Boy wouldn't answer her persistent questions.

They entered the Shellraiser, everyone following suit. They all sat down in their own stations - except for Jewel, Leo, and Raph, who was sitting at the driver's seat, which was Leo's station. Okay, that was weird. Raph was acceptable as a driver, but his station was weapons. So why was he...?

"Jewel, you coming?"

Blinking out of her brief stupor, Jewel looked down at Leonardo, whose head was poking up from the floor, in the hatch that led to the Stealth Bike. She continued to stare at him blankly. What, did he want her to ride with in the Stealth Bike? _That_ was his surprise? Pretty stupid, if you asked her. Jewel never rode in the Stealth Bike, thanks to Raph. As much as she'd love a ride, she had training sessions with the new recruits, and she'd rather not have Shredder find out about this. She was already treading on a thin line with him.

She frowned, folding her arms over her chest, leaning her weight on one foot, "You know I can't do that, Lion Boy." she reprimanded him firmly, "If Shredder finds out about this, then you can kiss our plans goodbye."

He shrugged, "I promise he won't find out. This'll just a take an hour, tops." he promised, extending an arm.

Jewel pursed her lips tightly, considering her options. On one hand, she could see the special surprise he has planned, on the other hand, she could go to bed. Her hands were tied. But Leo's eyes shone in the lights of the subway car, and they seemed to be bigger. Like...like a puppy...

She sighed heavily, grasping his hand, "Damn it, Leo," she sighed, unable to keep the smile off her face. Eh, he was tiring and funny at the same time sometimes. Sometimes, of course, she wouldn't say it in his pretty green face.

After a couple minutes, they were both riding around the grand city they called New York. It silent and dark, like a scene in a horror movie. Both teens sat there in comfortable silence, though Jewel was starting to wish Donnie added in another seat. She couldn't take that stupid smirk of the fact she was literally sitting _across Leo's lap._

She rolled her eyes, "I know you're smirking you selfish bastard," she snarked, pouting as she grumpily crossed her arms.

"Language," Leo joked, snickering at the death glare he was currently receiving.

"I'm not afraid to shoot." she warned, her eyes narrowed, though her tone wasn't worrying.

Leo merely shook his head, rolling his eyes in exasperated fondness, "You wouldn't shoot me if your life depended on it." he disagreed.

To be honest, Leo didn't think Jewel had it in her to hurt her friends. And he liked to think that she considered him a friend. Jewel just didn't seem like that kind of girl. Though she was the type of girl who could swoon a guy over and behead them without as so much of a blink. But his type was his type, so get over it.

He heard her sigh impatiently, throwing her head back as it hit the concealed roof that hung over them in the vehicle. He rolled his eyes, _so impatient,_ he thought to himself. Didn't she learn the art of patience?

She looked at him, an impatient and aggravated look on her pretty face, "Okay, where are you taking me, Lion Boy?" she asked, "I'm getting _bored._ " she groaned, throwing her head back as she whined. Leo snickered with a fond roll of his eyes, "You're a drama queen." he stated, smirking at her.

She smiled knowingly, eyebrows raised, "And _you're_ an asshole." she snarked back.

"Gee, what's with the swearing? You learn that in ninja school?" he teased, and Jewel had the grace to smirk, "No, actually, it was a camp." she joked good-naturedly. And Leo chuckled slightly, shaking his head as he continued driving, and then it was silence all over again.

Leo would glance at Jewel every now and then, studying her appearance a bit. She looked...different tonight. Good different. She was wearing comfy clothes and showed little skin, her pretty black hair was straight down her back. And her makeup was different tonight. Some dusty grey eyeshadow and bold mascara to bring out her dark blue eyes, slight rosy lips that matched well with her dark skin.

Not that Leo had a problem with her signature makeup, it just reminded him of Karai. And that was a crush he didn't like to be reminded of. And Jewel was just another girl he liked. But he wasn't just come out and _tell_ her he liked her; Jewel would probably just laugh in his face, claiming she wouldn't wanna waste her time with a _freak._

After a half-hour, they stopped in the middle of some field. Crickets chirped in the still silent of the night, the scent of dirt thick in the air, and the rich emerald grass was glowing in the dark night. They sat next to each other on the tickly grass, cross legged, hands in their laps as they gazed out into the dark sky, a millennium of bright stars twinkling down on them.

They were sitting under the thick tree, vacant of its' leaves, and Leo could only assume the tree was old. They sat in comfortable silence, until Jewel suddenly asked him:

"So, is this where you take _all_ your girlfriends?"

He snapped his head to her, eyes wide, and the back of his neck warmed as he looked at her sly expression. Then he laughed, tilting his head at her, "Yeah, but only to bury them alive," he jested, causing Jewel to giggle, something he could only get out of her. "Duly noted."

He continued to smile at her, marveling her beauty for a second. It was weird; Jewel was gorgeous, obviously, but her beauty was unique. It was something so _natural_ that it seemed unreal. Jewel had shiny dark skin that was youthful and she didn't seem to need any makeup. She had nice arms, slight muscles in them, and her abs showed and didn't show at the same time. And her eyes were a mystery, a royal blue color darker than his own, and if he looked closely enough...

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as his head was tilted to the side in curiosity, "Did you know you have little brown flecks in your eyes?" he finds himself asking.

Jewel turned her head to him, her brows furrowed in confusion, "What?"

"Your eyes. They're incredibly blue but there's some brown in them, too." he told her, "They're actually really pretty."

Jewel's brows shot up to her hairline, a genuinely surprised look on her face. _Since when did I have brown flecks in my eyes?_ she asked herself. She's never really paid attention to her eyes but now that she thought about it...makes sense. She _is_ half African American, and her parents both had brown eyes. And she got her eye color from her grandfather, whom she never met because he died before she was even born.

A warm smile encased her lips, "Thanks." she whispered, before adding, "Y'know, you have pretty eyes, too."

Leo only scoffed, rolling his eyes as he grinned, "Right," he muttered.

She chuckled, "What, I'm being serious." she told him, "If you were human, girls would be head over heels for you." she said sincerely, disguising the tone with her teasing tint.

He only shrugged, "Yeah, well, guess we're never gonna know," he said quietly, "girls wouldn't really...like what they see." he confessed with a faltering smile, the mood turning sour.

Jewel's cunning face softened in sympathy; it was true, at the first sight of Leonardo and his brothers, girls would be running for the hills, if they were human, that was another story. But Jewel wasn't _those_ girls. She genuinely liked Leo because he was kind, brave, and he seemed to understand her on some level. They just clicked.

"Well, _I_ like what I see." she stated firmly, making him look up in surprise, and she shrugged one shoulder, "You know how teenage girls are. So superficial. Sad, really."

" _You're_ not one of those girls." he countered, and she scooted closer to him, arms touching.

"No, but if I was, and if you were totally human, I would be trying my _hardest_ to impress you right now." she said as she jammed her finger on his cheek as hard she could, which he half-heartedly slapped away.

Leo cracked a smile, eyes brightening in amusement, "A girl like you doesn't have to try very hard."

She shrugged, "I'm not all that."

His face grew thoughtful as he studied her, "No, you are."

Jewel pulled a face at him, "Oh, and how would you know, Mr. Stud?" she asked.

Leo shrugged, his face still a bit thoughtful, "I don't know. Just a gut feeling, I guess."

* * *

"Oh, you have got to be _shitting me right now_ _."_ Jewel breathed as she stared at the newcomer standing at the doorway in utter disbelief. Her eyes were widened in shock, jaw slacked behind her mask.

 _No no no no no - no freaking frackin' way! This is CANNOT be happening. It can't be - HIM of all people! There's more than a freakin' billion people on this planet! Couldn't it have been anyone BUT him?!_

Apparently, Shredder was recruiting _anybody_ into the Foot Clan with open arms. And she had been absolutely livid to hear that same, obnoxious, annoying voice of the Pulverizer. And she was going to have to ask him what his real name was. No one could be so cruel enough to make their child _The Pulverizer._

Jewel decided early on that she didn't like Pulverizer. Ever since the first day they met. He was a nuisance, he was the reason why they lost the power crystal to the Kraang, and he was horrible at flirting. Seriously. Did that not have no boundaries?

He shouldn't have the right to learn their art. He was just wasting everyone's time.

Her left eye twitched on its own accord as the boy just kept _talking._

 _"Wow! Look at this place! It's bigger than my HOUSE! Man, are these REAL ninja weapons?! Hey! Shuriken!"_

Sam's eyes were wide in shocked in puzzlement, his brows meeting as his forehead wrinkled, " _This_ is the guy Shredder wants us to train?" he asked in calm disbelief, and Jewel numbly nodded back, face pinched in irritated puzzlement, completely hidden under her mask, "Seems so."

Pulverizer finally ended his squabbling as he turned around to greet them, "Hey there! I'm the new guy. The metal guy told me to come and find you -"

He stopped mid-sentence, his grin vanished as he stared at Jewel, eyes wide as dinner plates.

Uncomfortable, Jewel cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders as she crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him skeptically, "Are you gonna stand there all day or are we going to train?" she asked him in an authoritative voice, something rare coming from her since she was an assassin.

Instead of flinching in fear like she hoped, he blinked once, tilting his head.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked her after a short moment, "...you sound kinda...familiar."

Sam raised a curious brow, turning to look at Jewel for a brief moment. Behind her mask, her brows raised up in surprise, and she smirked. _Huh. He probably doesn't recognize me without the mask,_ she realized. To be fair, it was a few weeks ago, and she didn't really pay any mind to the boy or the fact she didn't have her mask. And she was more than grateful for her dad, since he was the one who told her to wear it at all times during dangerous missions.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, "I think I would remember meeting an imbecile like you." she said harshly, already growing impatient. Gee, this kid was a piece of work. "Now, are you gonna waste my time, or are we gonna get to training?"

His confused expression immediately faded back into his goofy smile, and she decided right then that he didn't like _his_ goofy smile. She liked Leo's, there was something about his that always made her laugh and she could never figure out why. Nodding rapidly, he offered her a thumbs up, "Gotcha!" he chirped, smiling, "I know his name's Sam, but what's yours?"

"Roxy." she answered immediately.

Sam pulled a face, but she ignored him. Despite her strong protest, she didn't think Pulverizer was _that_ big of an idiot. He must have a brain in there somewhere, right? He could connect the dots if she told him her real name. And she had a friend named Roxy, who used to be annoying when they were little, almost like Pulverizer. So she was reminded of that point in her life years ago by him indirectly.

Narrowing her eyes in patient anger, "Alright, listen up kid, 'cause I'm gonna say this once," she warned, taking a threatening step forward to him, "We are _not_ your friends, we are not you buddies, and we are not you mommy and daddy, okay? You're not gonna waste our time with whatever teenage angst bull you got going on. Got a problem, see a psychologist. You are here to learn our art. You will focus, you won't second guess us, and you're _going to pay attention."_

Wide eyed, Pulverizer could only blink for a second. This girl sounded so familiar, it was at the tip of his tongue. Her eyes seemed familiar, especially the way she glared at him, and the sound of her voice, it was odd. And if he was being honest with himself, he was a little scared of her now. Jewel has some _serious_ competition.

But he could do this. For Donnie.

After about an hour, Timothy found himself huddled down on the mats, stained with sweat and blood, his particularly. Dark purple bruises marred his shiny and sweaty skin, hair greedily clinging to his forehead. He heard Sam bellow out in laughter, snorting and snickering. Roxy was standing meters away from him, her face blank behind her mask, but there was something akin to smugness in her midnight blue orbs.

"How was that, Pulverizer?" she called out, her voice caked with smug satisfaction, he could hear the smirk from a mile. Mustering up his limited strength, he shakily raised an arm, giving her a half-hearted thumbs-up. "Super," he groaned.

* * *

Donnie sighed tiredly as he worked on something for Jewel. It was some sort of medicine for her headaches that she's been having ever since...well, ever since she was nine. She specifically asked him _not_ to butt in. But she was like a sister to him, family, and he'd do anything for them.

It was simple, really. All he did was mix in some natural products people typically used as home remedies, but he added his own twist. Jewel was enhanced with powers, and from his x-rays, he couldn't help but notice the electricity literally pulsing around her brain cells. That's what must've been causing the small headaches. It seemed like whenever Jewel was stressed the headaches were triggered and if she was in too much stress...Leo already figured it out.

He added a few chemicals that were completely harmless for her, and he would have to ask her to take it every once a month. And he needed to take his mind off of...things...

He turned around, bracing himself, but no matter how hard he tried to block it out, to pretend it wasn't real, he couldn't hold back that same look of regret and shame.

He screwed up. Big time. Pulverizer - _Timothy_ \- had been the one to pay the price of his mistake. And he knew it, too. He should've done something, he should've tried harder, he could've saved Timothy.

Deep down though, he knew there wasn't any stopping the reckless teen, though it couldn't hurt to try.

He started to write a letter for his parents, the people who raised him, the people who loved him. They must be worried sick. But he couldn't bring himself to. How was he supposed to write a letter saying that their son wouldn't be coming home soon? How can you put that into words. You'd have to be heartless.

Tears blurred his vision, and he stubbornly rubbed them away with a sniff. He shouldn't be the one crying. He deserved to be the mess of internal organs, Timothy should be home, playing video games, watching T.V., stuffing his face with junk food. But he wasn't. But he was going to fix this. No matter what, he would bring Timothy back home. Even if it killed him.

With a determined gleam set in his mahogany orbs, he took a confident step forward to the glass containing Pulverizer, who merely blinked at him, and he placed his palm on the glass, whispering in determined resolve, "I'm going to fix you. I promise."


	24. Parasitica!

Jewel couldn't remember the last time she's ever been in a mall. She's always been busy and clothes never really mattered to her all that much. She was much too focused with school, gymnastics, and ninjitsu. School was okay, she supposed. It wasn't torture. All you had to do was listen to your teachers babble and do the work. A _monkey_ could do that. And she could always release herself when performing a move in gymnastics. She could flow and relax in her flips and tumbles. The only time where she didn't feel like a puppet on strings, playing for her master. Same with ninjitsu, but she didn't have to think. It was the only she didn't have to think about anything. The only time her mind could wander while she punched the living daylights out of anybody. The increase in her heart, her blood pulsing, and her muscles burning...it's a wonderful feeling.

But clothes and modeling? They were just clothes and makeup. But she could be someone else. She didn't have to be Jewel King, gymnastics champion, Jewel King, the worlds deadliest assassin/mercenary, Jewel King, Straight-A student. No, she could just be Jewel King, a girl with a pretty face. Maybe that's why she put up with modeling. The clothes masked her true self, the makeup hid her real face, everything was a disguise for her. She knew who she was when the makeup was caked on her face, the clothes stuck to every curve, she was just a pretty teenager. And that's the way she liked it. She didn't want to figure out who she really was, as cheesy as it sounds, and she didn't want to know either. Deep down, too far to dig back up, she was admittedly afraid of that answer.

"Are you done daydreaming?"

Blinking back into the present, Jewel turned to look at her best friend, Gwen Brooks, who smirking at her in amusement. She shrugged uncaringly, "I wasn't daydreaming," she denied.

"Then what were you doing?" asked Gwen, raising a brow. And Jewel just shrugged again.

"Thinking."

She quickly surveyed the surroundings of the large building. She saw families leave and enter, smiling and laughing as children chittered their mouths off, she saw couples walk hand in hand, simply enjoying each other's presence, and she saw groups of friends laughing with each other, bumping into one another in good nature. And she couldn't help but scowl. _So innocent,_ she thought bitterly to herself. They were completely oblivious to the danger in the room. They had no idea they were running amok in a building with a fifteen year old pyrokinetic with enhanced speed and strength, and a deadly assassin who could slice your head off quicker than the blink of the eye.

 _Guess I can't blame 'em,_ she thought, looking down at her attire. She was wearing a black mini skirt that hugged her waist quite comfortably, a mahogany velvet long sleeved shirt, ripped fishnet leggings paired with short black boots, and her hair was curled in waves, some of it flipped to the left side of her face like in an Aaliyah fashion. _No wonder Aaliyah and others used this style, it's pretty dope,_ she thought in satisfactory. She looked like a normal teenage girl, with the seemingly perfect boyfriend and the best of friends she could ever have.

As she and Gwen aimlessly walked around the mall, she felt her eyes rest on a certain couple: a father and his daughter. They seemed to be happy, the dad was holding a Disney bag in his hand, it looked pretty big, so it must be one of those costumes she saw back when she was little, in the costume shops in Japan. The daughter was holding some sort of stuffed bear with a big red bow tied around its' neck. She smirked to herself as they left her sight.

 _How many times have I strangled an unfortunate soul with a bow?_ she asked rhetorically in her head, almost laughing at the thought. Anything could be a weapon. Just like her father always told her. It seemed ridiculous at first, but _boy_ was she wrong.

She had a look of indifference on her face as she and Gwen strolled in comfortable silence. This is what she loved about Gwen. She would never talk or pry too hard. She would just let Jewel think and daydream to herself until she was ready to talk. What are best friends for, right?

Few boys that seemed to be her age or older curled their lips into seductive smirks, eyes gleaming in desire, and a few dared to whistle. Under normal circumstances she would've walked right up to them, poker face, and faster than a click of a door, their necks were snapped and they would collide into a heap onto the floor. Unfortunately she wasn't Jewel the Assassin, she was Jewel the Teenager. Sometimes it was a curse - especially when it came to boys. Though she didn't mind the curious looks from the younger ones. They were young and didn't know any better, and they were still innocent and curious. But that didn't make it okay, but she'd let karma take care of that for her.

"So," Gwen's voice snapped her back into reality, "what d'ya wanna get? Samples? Clothes?" she asked in mild interest, glancing at her for a second. Jewel clicked her tongue as she shrugged, "I don't know. Either's fine."

Nodding at her answer, Gwen pursed her lips in thought, eyes more focused as she weighed her own options. They walked through the hurdle of New Yorkers, consisting mostly of families and teenagers. After a couple of minutes, two minutes and forty five seconds, Gwen finally nodded at her decision and walked a slightly faster face, Jewel following suit as she wondered what Gwen had decided on. Either option was fine; the smoothie samples were decent and clothes were already what she had, but she supposed she wouldn't mind buying a few more, maybe for an upcoming mercenary mission, as she liked to call it.

Eventually Gwen had led her to some trendy looking store she was familiar with: _Forever 21._ She's heard of the store, she posed as their model for their magazines and their clothing articles. She curiously peered the store in mild interest. It looked as it sound. The walls and floors were a plain but vibrant white, the whole room was bathed and soaked in a golden luminescent light, and mannequins were posed here and there, dressed in vogue and trendy outfits.

She saw an assortment of clothing sections for aiding troubled young girls who couldn't make a decision. Another thing to give her a headache. "Hey, wanna go look over there?" Gwen asked, pointing to a certain section in the back. She outstretched her neck to get a better look. The outfits looked gothic and preppy than most of the choices here. She supposed she could take a look at them.

"Um, okay."

Gwen led her to the back section she had mentioned earlier. They looked similar to the ones Gwen had always bought for her whenever it was her birthday or Christmas. They definitely were in her signature style: the rebel with class. A black velvet bralette with a fashionable jean jacket. She inspected as Gwen excused herself to a random corner in the section, scrolling through the clothing for her own choices.

Jewel skimmed the rows of clothings, the too bright lights burning her eyes a bit. She hesitantly picked up a blue vest, slowly turning it to the back, tilting her head slightly. _Hmmmm..._ she hummed in her head. She pursed her lips tightly, furrowing her brows. _Just clothes, right? I've done this a dozen of times._

But this time seemed different. Well, maybe not different, just a little boring and the same. She already has a blue vest. She already has a black top. She has a bunch of variety of clothes. That other people bought for her. She just never minded because she never liked going out in public. Boys were curious and girls would glare at their boyfriends and blame her. But she's never had to pick out her own clothes at the store. Other people bought her clothes.

Her T-Phone's shrill ringtone suddenly pierced in the semi-noisy air. Gwen flinched startlingly as she nearly dropped a hanger, saving it at the last minute. Tucking it out of her pocket, she peered at the screen. She blinked in mild surprise. _Donnie? What does HE want?_

Odd, really. She and Donnie weren't at each other's throat like she and Raph were. But that didn't mean they got along fine and dandy. Donnie was always...cautious around her. He never truly believed her too much on anything, other than school. She didn't blame him. She lied for months, hid who she really was, and played the part of an innocent damsel caught in the crossfire of a war. And she got April nearly killed and experimented, plus she...never mind. She'll get there when she gets there.

She answered the call with a frown, "Aren't you supposed to be -"

 _"Jewel, no time for games! We got a problem!"_ came Donnie's high and hysteric voice, and in any other circumstance she would've just continued to play and joke at him before he would be agitated. But not this time. "What is it?" she asked in concern.

 _"Long story. Let's just say Raph and Leo are trying to bite us and turn us into mind controlled bugs - **Gyahh! Hey! Hands off, buddy!"**_ and the call was abruptly cut off.

It took a few minutes for Jewel to process the brief information Donnie had just supplied. What? Wait, why were Leo and Raph trying to bite Mikey (she's assuming) and Donnie? Mind controlled bugs? You know what, she's not even surprised at this point. A black hole could open up from the sky and shoot out aliens and she would just keep sipping on her coco. _What is up with you, America?_ she thought to herself in humor.

She looked back up at Gwen, whose pond water eyes narrowed in concern, "What was that about?" she asked. Jewel shrugged, "Honestly?" she paused for a moment, "I don't know."

* * *

Her back collided against the ice cold floor and she grunted in slight pain.

 _Ugh, why can't we put more carpets on the damn floor? This hurts like hell._ she complained in thought. A pair of soft but calloused hands firmly pushed her down to her shoulders, squeezing their nails into them. His nails dug uncomfortably into her skin, and his grip was firm. She grunted as she withered in his strong hold, her hands glowing a fierce red as she moved to plant her palm to his neck, only to pause.

She looked up into Leo's usually warm and authoritative ocean blue eyes, holding some kind of kindness, eyes that were steady and hard, focused on the task. Eyes she admired. But now they were pitch black, glistening in the bright lights in a melancholy sort of way. Eyes blank and animalistic. A blind animal. A void and color that wasn't Lion Boy.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, faster than he could blink, she slapped her burning hand onto the nape of his neck, and he shrieked in pain as he leaped off of her, holding his neck as he whined. She sat up and continued to stare at him in concern. She had to hurt him, even if she didn't want to, and this was her mission. So in a way, she was helping him rather than hurting him.

Rapid footsteps approached her, "Jewel," a voice called out, and Gwen came by her side, softly landing a hand on her shoulder, out of breath, "you okay?" she asked as she offered a hand.

Grunting as she clasped Gwen's hand, rising to her feet uneasily, she nodded her head, "Yeah, I'm okay." she answered quietly, looking back at the now unconscious Leonardo, "You?" she asked absently. She faintly remembered Gwen was there to help out too, handling Raphael with Mikey and Donnie. Jewel had assured them she could take care of Leonardo on her own.

A heavy sigh left Gwen's lips, "Well, other than a few bruises, one missing boot, oh, and Raph totally owes me a new watch, I'm fine." she joked, earning a light-hearted chuckle from Jewel, glancing at Leonardo.

She quickly snatched the chains as more footsteps came, "What about Hot Head? He with you?" she called as she wrapped the chains tightly around Leo's muscular build, him grunting at the tightness. She scrunched her nose in sympathy, gently placing a hand on his neck from she had burned him.

"No, and he took off with the egg," a new voice answered, and Leo twitched as her hand inspected the burn. It didn't look pretty. A mixture of black and red, and a pinch of brown as she could hear it sizzle. Donnie was going to have to use _a lot_ of that burn cream medicine. "Sorry," she said quietly at his sleeping form, "hope you're not mad at me in the morning."

She heard Donnie walk up behind her, "I don't think he can stay mad at you for long even if you stabbed him." he humored, inspecting the burn with a scientific glint in his eyes, "We might have to test out your powers soon." he said, helping her haul a chained up Leonardo up, "How about tonight?" he offered, him and Jewel now dragging their leader across the steps to his lab.

The girl shrugged one shoulder as they hauled Leonardo up the air to hang him by his shell. "Maybe another time, I've got a new mission coming up soon." she said as she secured the bindings. Though Jewel _was_ slightly curious about how her powers worked. She didn't know where they came from, or how she got them. How did she? Was it hereditary? Did her mom have them?

The more the questions came to mind, the more she grew frantic on the inside.

 _Did I get them from my parents? Did my dad ever know about them? Were they a secret? Am I an alien? Did my mom have these -?_

She stopped that last question from popping up. Maybe it was best if she didn't know. But _did_ she inherit these amazing powers from her mother? Maybe she did. Her dad never showed any signs of these powers and he died from a car accident -

Her eyes began to sting as she thought of one, _horrifying_ question.

 _Is that why mom died?_

She stopped it as fast as she could from conjuring up in her subconscious. No. That...that just couldn't be it. These powers shouldn't be able to kill that person. Jewel had these powers and she was okay. Well, okayish, but that was because of other things, not the powers. Besides, _if_ her mom had these powers at Jewel's age - or younger - they shouldn't have killed her. Her mom only died after three days of her -

 _It was me. I-I killed her. Didn't I?_

Jewel swallowed the suffocating lump lodged in her throat, attempting to keep her face blank as Donnie rambled on about something, everyone was distracted.

Yes, the idea may seem ridiculous, but it wasn't impossible. It couldn't be a coincidence that Jewel's mother died just three days after she was born. Her father always told her she died from some complications but that just _couldn't be it._ Her mom used to be healthy. She didn't drink, smoke, never on any drugs, _nothing._ So complications?

Jewel used to force herself to believe it. She was too scared that it could've been her. Jewel didn't like the idea one bit. But the powers _had_ to come from her mother, right? Maybe that's why she died. Mom died because maybe it caused some strain in her powers during the birth that it compromised her health.

 _Because I killed her..._

Tears gathered in her eyes as she discreetly wiped them away and sniffed. She didn't want to think like this. She didn't want this to be her fault.

 _I ruined her life. I TOOK her life away from her. I took away my father's love of his life._

Swallowing and curling her fingers into shaking fists, Jewel squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to block the tears out as a _too_ familiar dull pain began to bloom at the base of her skull. _No. Not now. Please, Please, Please,_ she frantically begged her emotions. She couldn't cry. Not now. Not with everything else going on. And she still wasn't sure _what_ was going on. She just knew that she didn't want to cry in front of the turtles.

Swallowing down her sudden sorrow, Jewel pushed the thought away for now, focusing on the task at hand. Raph escaped with the egg. Wait, why was the egg important? Uh...? Okay, both were mind controlled by some...bug or whatever, don't let them bite you, weird...uhh...bug, brain, _WHAT ELSE?!_

"Hey. You okay?"

The suddenly concerned voice broke her out of her frustrated trance. Her gaze snapped to Gwen's worried eyes, her brows furrowed as she regarded Jewel worriedly.

Jewel just blinked at her for a couple of seconds, trying to break herself from her thoughts. No was the right answer. But she didn't want to bother Gwen with her own problems. And she didn't want to break down at this time. Or any other time. She's only ever cried around Leo, but he just brought out the genuine emotion from her.

Plastering on the convincing look of indifference, she merely shrugged away her friend's worry, "Duh, I'm fine." she stated matter-of-factly. She looked fine, and she was forcing herself to be fine. She was excellent at lying. It's what she's good at. Pretending to be something she's not was her comfort zone. That was why she felt out of place when she hung out with the turtles and Splinter.

Gwen continued to study her intently, detecting for any lies in her behavior, but Jewel didn't want to talk about it. So she kept looking bored and chill at the same time. Because that's what she was good at. Lying. Acting.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long he's been here. He's barely sure of anything. Time, date, he lost track. It was cell after cell, day after day, week after week, how long would it take to get to year after year? How many years? How many months? How many more weeks until he saw his ray of sunshine and hope: his daughter?

Kirby O'Neil was exhausted; his eyes held heavy violet bags, his skin paler than the snow itself, and every inch of his body felt tight and tensed, like someone was pulling on it and wouldn't stop. His mind became muddled, intoxicated with nightmares. He felt sick, skinnier, he felt like a shell of a man.

He held onto one hope. The hope to see April again.

He basked in each and every one of their memories. Teaching her how to ride a bike, watching with a warm smile as she happily yelled, _"Look, daddy, I'm doing it!"_ or the time when they baked cookies just because she asked, her eyes lighting up with happiness, her smile wide and energetic. Crystal blue eyes that matched his own but her smile reminded him of his wife.

He held onto that hope. He cherished the memories. Her first word, the first day of kindergarten, junior high, high school. Everything. The times they laughed, the times they cried, the times they just sat there in company and said nothing. Because nothing ever had to be said.

Kirby just hoped his sweet little girl was safe in the hands of the turtles.

A crack and groan startled him out of his thoughts. He looked up from his curled in the corner of this _damn cell,_ as a _mysterious_ figure strolled into the room in an almost taunting and slowing way into the darkened cell. It wasn't a Kraang. This person was someone else. He blinked hard in surprise.

 _A girl._ She looked to be about his daughter's age, maybe a bit younger. Her skin was dark and coffee brown, her hair a midnight color. A black mask covered her face, and her royal blue eyes looked down at him in a levelling way. This girl had dark and tight clothing, and he saw ruby gems illuminating off the fluorescent lights. Her boots thudded against the floor, the only sound in the room.

Her eyes were blank, no emotion, cold. Her posture was loose and relaxed, but her shoulders were squared. He looked at her oddly, too tired to react to anything right now. There was something oddly...familiar about this girl. Her eyes were definitely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint where. He had seen those eyes from somebody else. Not his or April's. April and he had lighter blue irises. This girl eyes were cold and menacing, like something akin to an assassin from some of those movies he used to watch back when he was just a young boy.

"Kirby O'Neil?" asked the smooth and composed girl, and she walked further into the cell. _The door isn't closed,_ he noted, "Are you all right, sir?"

She held out a hand to him, offering her assistance, and he wearily accepted as she helped him rise to his two feet, albeit shakily. "I, uh, I don't know." came his hoarse reply. It's been months or weeks since he had spoken to anyone. "Are you - are you with the Kraang?" he asked with a hint of fear crawling to his tone.

The girl didn't seemed to mind the slight fear, instead offering him a terse head shake, "No, sir, I'm an acquaintance of the turtles. The ones who recused your daughter that night." she said evenly, her voice honest and true, her eyes calm but cold.

At the mention of the turtles and his daughter, Kirby almost melted in gratitude and happiness. April was okay. She was safe. She was with the turtles.

A smile of relief crept along his chapped lips, aged features softening for the first time in forever. "Your daughter's safe, don't worry. She's been staying with them for protection. I tracked your location down here and -"

He lunged at her before she could finish. He wrapped his aching arms around her slender form. The girl grew stone cold at the contact, muscles tensed but he couldn't care less. After weeks of wishing, pleading...he was _finally finally_ going to see his princess again. He was going home.

"Thank you," he choked, eyes brimming with tears, and he swallowed the lump in his throat, _"thank you so much..."_

Had he been paying attention, he would've noticed the odd glint in the young woman's eyes. The royal blue orbs were conflicted, unsettled, almost akin to guilt. Slowly, reluctantly, the girl cupped a hand at the back of his neck, a finger discreetly sneaking a tiny device...

"I'm sorry, sir," she sighed, a hint of regret laced in her tone.

Before he could say anything, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck. He let out a gasp as his eyes widened in shock, his mouth agape. The corners of his eyes darkened.

He felt himself go heavy, plunging to the ground like a rock in an ocean, mind unfocused. The last thing he saw was the girl's cold, dull gaze...

* * *

Jewel sat slumped in her luxurious bed, her shoulders slumped. Her midnight blue eyes were a storm of anger and guilt. Her jaw was clenched tightly, and smoke was slowly rising from her body. She hoped she wouldn't catch herself on fire again. She liked this bed.

She clenched one fist tightly, shaking with rage. And her eyes gazed intently at the manilla folder laid across her lap, staring back up at her, mocking her.

Hesitantly, she slowly reached with her unclenched hand, her sharp fingernails looming over the cold, thin paper, containing multiple files that probably held all the answers to the questions she's been seeking and wishing for years. She could feel her skin crawl with anticipation, her heart pounding in her ears, as she felt the tip of her fingers brushing over the edge of the folder, easing it open...


	25. Operation: Breakout!

The following morning, after he had recovered from the morning of _How I ALWAYS Gotta Embarrass Myself In Front Of April,_ Donatello had decided to take a quick break from his lab and from everyone all together and retreat to his bedroom. Take a nap, relax the mind, everything Splinter would usually suggest.

He was so engrossed in his much needed nap that he didn't notice the arm snaking and snatching him from his precious room. He yelped in surprise as his vision swirled and it took him about ten seconds to adjust.

"What the -" he cried out just as hand clamped over his mouth. He stared at the girl in mild shock, her eyes amused and annoyed at the same time, her lips in a thin line but almost quirked. What a pleasure. Jewel.

Slowly, thirty seconds, Jewel's hand was off of Donnie's lips, and she raised an eyebrow, "What, no hi?" she asked him, her lip twitching in amusement. He shrugged at her, still in his shocked stupor, "Hi?" he tried, unsure. What? He didn't understand girls very well. Especially girls like Jewel. Oh god...more girls like Jewel...yeesh, what a nightmare.

"Better," she nodded, before clapping her hands in front of him loudly, causing him to jump in surprise as he nearly cried out again, but he bit his tongue. Ouch. "Good. You're listening." she smiled, crossing her arms over her chest as her expression hardened into something more serious.

Her expressions fascinated him. At first her eyes would brighten up sometimes, like an actual teenager. The corners would crinkle in amusement, such as when she's teasing all of them, her expression would soften into something more kind, mainly around Leo or Splinter. And sometimes they would harden into something cold and calculating. And sometimes it was just blank, no story to tell.

He continued to look at her for a couple of seconds, "You know," he started, "you should consider being an actress instead of a model." he told her. Her cold face instantly changed into surprise before morphing into knowing amusement, "Well _duh,"_ she scoffed, like it was the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard, "I'm a _kunoichi,_ remember?"

He shrugged, "It's just a thought."

Jewel shook her head, rolling her eyes, "Whatever," she dismissed, expression hardening again, "Look, I've got something important to tell you. It's about April's dad." she told him in a serious tone that was rare from her.

He blinked wide in shock, but before he could say anything, she clasped his arm and sped him to his lab in a flash. A shrill cry left his lips, his brain spinning. He stumbled on his feet when she let go, sliding the lab doors shut. Through his dizzy mind, he spotted the mercenary typing and encrypting something in his had been sent some sort of secret message. It could've been about the Kraang again, or some virus, etc. He hoped it was just a virus or something else. He couldn't let the Kraang or Shredder come back after her.

Finally regaining his composure, gingerly rubbing a hand over his head at the girl, _what the hell_ at the tip of his lips, when a familiar voice echoed the silent room.

 _"April, it's dad."_

Donnie gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief, "Mr. O'Neil?!"

 _"I pray you get this message. I've been moved to a different Kraang facility. If you can, send help."_

With that final note the video message ended, flashing back to a blank screen, waiting to be rewind again and again. A map of the city suddenly popped up on a small window on the left side of the blank screen. A blinking red dot hovered over a particular location. And that location was only just a few blocks away. Donnie's heart leapt in his throat, "Oh man," he breathed in disbelief, a shaky laugh erupting from the pit of his chest. He heard Jewel utter something, but he was too lost in his thoughts to pay any mind. He did it. They'd _found_ Mr. O'Neil! This was their chance. The chance to _finally_ reunite April and her father! To fulfill the promise that felt like _years ago._

"Guys!" he called out, "listen to -!"

He stopped short, halting completely in his steps. Wait a minute. _He_ was the one who found Kirby. And _Jewel_ was the one who'd deciphered the message for him. _They_ were the only ones on the team who could have done something like this for April. Both of them were the only ones informed about his whereabouts...

Well...Raph _did_ say if we wanted to impress April, leave others out of it...

His eyes drifted back to April's laptop, the red dot blinking was suddenly blinking faster and faster the longer he stared. He clenched his jaw tightly, his mind reeling with options.

This was his chance. The chance to prove Raph - _everybody_ \- that he was wrong. That he _did_ have a chance with April. To prove to her that he wasn't some nerdy mutant. _Maybe..._

A voice interrupted his lovesick thoughts, "Uh, Donnie? Hello? Are you still with me?" asked a mildly annoyed Jewel. He flinched, averting his mahogany on her. Herm arms were crossed tightly over her chest, leaning on one foot for weight, and she had a raised brow in his direction, peering at him in suspicious curiosity.

He licked his lips, swallowing thickly as he composed himself from running out like a deranged criminal. "Well," he started, shrugging, "there's really no reason why I couldn't, y'know.." he trailed off, brows furrowed in uncertainty. How could he put this lightly? Jewel tilted her head at him, her eyes roving him up and down, to which he squirmed uncomfortably. "Please tell me you're not suggesting what I hope you're not suggesting." she said.

He rolled his eyes at her, "Well, it's only dawn -"

Jewel scoffed, rolling her eyes skyward, "Man, you're unbelievable." she muttered, shaking her head as she began to walk over to the living room, "Guys -"

Donnie felt his eyes bulge out of their sockets, and he quickly followed after her, clutching her wrist and jerking her away as he clamped her shut. Jewel squawked in surprise, her protests muffled against his hand. She stomped on his foot, and Donnie hurriedly let go of her as he hopped up and down with one foot, biting his tongue from the pain. He cried out in pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Look, j-just hear me out on this," he grunted, forcing the pain away from his toe. Damn that girl was strong.

He heard Jewel scoff, "Okay, please tell me you're joking. You're joking, right?"

He didn't answer her yet, slowly releasing his throbbing foot, he face his gaze on her, huffing, "No, I'm not joking. Will you please just listen to me?" he asked, impatient. Jewel rolled her eyes again, gesturing him to go on. Nodding, he sighed, "Okay, well, it's not that far from the lair, and if April's dad managed to send out a secret message without being detected, that probably means the security isn't all that great, right? Give me one reason why I shouldn't do this." he rambled, pursing his lips tightly. Jewel's face was blank, but she seemed to be considering his argument, "Is this about impressing April?" she asked dryly, eyes flat as the ground below them.

His cheeks burned a bright red, and his palms grew sweaty, "N-No, of course not." he chuckled nervously, averting his gaze away from her. She didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't push the matter further. "Right," she said, voice oozed in sarcasm. "Okay, first of all, this has got to be one of the dumbest ideas you've ever had, okay? It really is. It's reckless, irresponsible, and," her disapproving expression morphed into something he was all too familiar with. Her dark blue orbs twinkled with mischief, and her lips curved into the devilish smirk that suited her all too well, "a whole hella fun. I'm in!"

He blinked hard, almost choking on his words, "Wha - _What?"_ he stammered, unsure if he had heard her right. "You wanna come with? Why?"

Jewel merely shrugged at him, unsheathing her Tanto from the black sash wrapped around her waist, "'Cause I'm bored, and you're definitely gon' need backup when your plans goes into the crap, and it will," she explained, offering him a dazzling smile at the last part. His dumbfounded face fell into an unappreciated frown, rolling his eyes, "Pretty sure it'll work." he muttered under his breath. His nonexistent brows knitted together, "So, you'll help me?"

Jewel nodded firmly once, "You're gonna need it."

He weighed his options; some backup couldn't hurt. The security there might not be great, but that didn't mean there wasn't any defenses they had stored up hidden somewhere, and they could get out of there with Jewel's enhanced speed. _So..._

His mind made up, Donnie nodded once at her, before he took out his T-Phone, linking it up with the map on the screen. He grabbed his Bo staff on the way out of his lab, jerking his head at Jewel to follow him, and both crept their way across the lair, steps light and cautious. They reached the turnstiles without any incidents, and Donnie casted a final glance over his shoulder, staring at his sleeping brothers for a second. He made a face as he looked down and bit his lip, reluctant and unsure of himself now. Maybe Jewel was right, perhaps he was being a tad reckless.

"Hey," a voice whispered, and he turned his head up to glance at the girl he considered a sister. "Relax, we'll be back before you know it. And April can thank her shining turtle in no time," she assured him with a smirk. A grateful smile softened his features, and he mouthed 'thanks'. He sheathed his staff as he and Jewel leapt over the turnstiles, neither looking back once. He could do this. Both of them could do this. He saw that look Jewel had on when she 'discreetly' glanced over at Raph. Her narrowed eyes, the slight dip of her bottom lip, the way her jaw clenched. It seemed to Donnie that Jewel just wanted to prove to Raph that she wasn't that same girl from the Foot. That she was a better person now. Donnie believed that. She really had developed into someone better, someone willing to risk their life for her loved ones. And in a way, both of them could prove that they were smarter - stronger - than this.

But he couldn't keep that smug grin to himself as he and Jewel ran through the familiar passes, "We'll see who's sadorable."

And he could hear that smirk from the girl a mile away.

* * *

With soundless thuds, Donnie and Jewel landed on the roof of some water tower, both positioned in a low crouch. The sun peeked over the edge of the towering skyscrapers, the whites of their eyes aglow in the steadily fading darkness, signaling that it was almost dawn. The secret Kraang facility laid across the opposite street. The facility that held April's father. Jewel tilted her head in confusion. Huh. Not exactly what either were expecting. It was some old garage, with a sign on the door that read _'ZIGA'S Auto Body: Transmission Alignment Collision Tune Up'._

"A car shop? That's the base?" Jewel said quietly, her tone ringed with bewilderment. Donnie took out his T-Phone, checking the map to be sure they were in the right place, Surely he must have made an error, right? Huh. No mistake on his part. According to the coordinates, they were standing directly above the supposed base. "Huh. Doesn't seem very Kraangy." he mused aloud, voicing Jewel's thoughts. She hummed in wordless agreement. "Well," she started out slowly, '...appearances can be deceiving. I guess..." she trailed off uncertainly.

Both leapt from their perch on the tower, swinging themselves onto the ladder of a fire escape, sliding down to the pavement below them, landing without a hitch. They kept their bodies low, steps light as a feather, silent as the wind itself. Casting narrowed gazes cautiously, Jewel lightly shoved Donnie to the crusted green metal door, keeping a lookout. He examined the lock in his palm, and he smirked to himself as he picked at it. This thing was so ancient that even Mikey of all people could pick it, even Raph when he's in one of his temper tantrums.

Quicker than Jewel could say _'Yoo Hoo!'_ , Donnie hauled the door up, poking his head inside the garage. It was dark, clammy, and had some sort of smell, but hey, it was empty, right?

He unsheathed his Bo, casting a glance at Jewel, who had slipped her mask on. He grinned at her, a teasing, gap-toothed grin as he gestured the inside, "Ladies first," he jeered. She rolled her eyes at him, walking past him as he slid the door shut behind him. Midnight blue and brown eyes swept across the spacious room as they trotted inside. Ancient, flickering light-bulbs lightened the place up just a tad. Barely. Donnie noted the rows of rows of old cars piled atop each other, taxis, limos, and a few Hondas. And some set of old and crooked tools lying discarded on the dust caked floors, and air tanks stacked up on the other side of the room, crusty and brown with age. Jewel made a face, "Good god does this place reek of desperation and despair." she said in disgust, her voice so quiet that Donnie barely heard her.

"I'll say," Donnie muttered under his breath before he felt his muscles go taut as he heard something clang loudly behind him. Gasping, his spun around as he held out his staff in front of him, Jewel's hand erupted into a small flame, engulfing her hand. The room was tensely quiet, and when nothing else happened, their muscles calmed just a tad, Jewel scoffing under breath, muttering a curse in Spanish.

The purple clad turtle heaved a faint sigh of relief. _Stupid tools,_ he thought to himself. That scared the crap out of him. He thought for sure there was a Kraang bot here. He kinda felt...vulnerable, almost, maybe. The silence was long and deafening; it felt like something could come out and snatch him into the daunting shadows, disappearing into a cloud of mist...

 _"It is the one of the ones called the turtles and Fire Queen."_

Both turtle and girl froze, and his heart leapt into his throat. Both spun around to find a Kraang droid, its blaster pointed at them.

Jewel blinked hard in confusion, her face twisted in disbelief behind her mask, "How the _hell_ did we not hear that thing coming?" she asked incredulously, "Are we losing our touch?"

He ducked his head in seconds before the Kraang could blast any of their insides out. He swung his staff hard against the wirsts and head of the stupid robot, sweeping the droid off its feet, falling to the ground with audible thud. He saw a control panel to his right, and faster than he could blink, Jewel immediately set fire to the large red button. A forklift holding a car dropped down the unfortunate Kraang. The pink bubblegum alien squealed in helpless anger as it flailed its tentacles, trapped to the floor.

He grinned, "Looks like you could use a tune-up!" he said as he looked at Jewel, nudging her with an elbow. "Huh? yeah! Right? Am I right?" he smirked at his own joke. Jewel just rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head in amusement. "Yeesh. And I thought Leo's puns were bad." she teased as slipped off the bottom half of her mask to reveal her jeering smirk, before slipping it back on. Donnie scoffed. "Oh come on. My puns aren't that bad."

"Better than Lion Boy."

"Well you have bad taste."

"That's not what Jordan thought last night."

He raised a brow, shaking his head in disgust. She didn't need to point that out. He spun his staff expertly, wearing his still smug grin. "Yeah, well who's the hero now?"

There smiles instantly dropped.

 ** _"HO-LY COW!"_ ** he screeched, him and Jewel ducking left and right - even tucking his head into his shell - to avoid the streaks of the sudden laser fire. Popping his head back, Jewel literally had her hands on fire, and was met with three more droids glaring back at him, armed with their blasters. Those eyes reminded him of Shredder sometimes. He gulped audibly, "No response necessary!" he squeaked, snatching Jewel's arm and diving both of them behind the cars for cover.

* * *

"Okay, none of this makes sense," Jewel whispered as she and Donnie were perched on top on one of the lights. "These bubblegum rejects have to be one of the most clueless things I've ever met. Except for Mikey."

He'd actually let out a genuine laugh for the first time that day. Sometimes she was funny. "Yeah," he whispered back. He was glad Jewel was here with him; he didn't realize he would need the company, how lonely he would be. No jokes or terrible puns to be made fun of, or someone who can joke with him. No wonder why Leo liked this girl so much. She was fun and carefree to be around. She was the type of girl who could make you forget all about your troubles. She was like this fun, rebellious little sister he'd never had. Plus, he now had the insight to the mind of girls, total scores for April if he ever needed girl advice from Jewel.

They leapt from their hiding spots and rolled themselves to the wall, pressing their backs. "Okay, all we have to do is find out where they're keeping Mr. O'Neil, then get out of here without the Kraang noticing." he whispered the rest of his plan to her. She gave him a curt nod, her eyes narrowed and focused. Turning a corner and pressing his back against the cool wall, he spotted a door at the end of the hall as it opened up, and another droid spat out of the room. Seems important for a quick looksee, don't'ya think?

Risking a glance at Jewel, who seemed to be thinking what he was thinking, she nodded back at him, her eyes full of mischief and slyness. Grinning, he took out his T-Phone, Jewel quickly snatching it as she waved and took a selfie of herself with a sexy smirk, before tossing it back to him. Instantly, he slid the device across the room, he and Jewel watching as it came to a stop in front of the droid as it began to ring. It tilted its head in confusion, bending over and picking it off the grounf, staring at the picture of the waving and smirking pyrokinetic...only seconds before the same pyrokinetic appeared, slamming her fist into its face as it thunked against the metal door.

Donnie came over and plucked his phone from the still hand. "It's from me," he said as the alien began to scqueal in pure rage, and Donnie swung his staff like a golf club, sending the creature flying and smacking against the opposite wall. "And that's for you!" he finished triumphantly, watching smugly as the wad of pink rage slid down the wall, landing with a splat.

He and Jewel laughed as they shared a high-five; his eye twitched as his hand stung just a tad, sometimes he forgot about her enhanced strength. "Score Three for the Dynamic Duo. Man we are on a roll today!" Jewel boasted. He only laughed and nodded at her, "I couldn't agree more."

Huh. Were they actually going to get away with this? Man, somebody pinch him!

He clutched the Kraang's head and pressed it against the scanner, the doors swished open and both stepped inside the room. The doors hissed behind them. The room was dark, round, flowing with the purple fluorescent glowing from the control panel in the center, and lined along the walls were several balck and white surveillance cameras. He hummed to himself; it seemed like the prison - Jewel told him, she's seen one, don't ask - as they monitored their prisoner trapped in their cells. His eyes scanned for each one, all but one were empty.

Bingo.

Donnie gasped, "Mr. O'Neil!"

Kirby was huddled in the far corner of his cell, his head buried between his crossed arms, knees hugged close to his chest. He felt an ache at the sight of the man. From all the pictures he had seen, the man's eyes were usually lighting up with joy, his smile big and wide, just like April's. To see a man so tired, so foreign, so broken and shattered to pieces...

He scowled deeply; oh they were going to pay. Big time.

Jewel's eyes quickly caught something move in one of the cells. Without Donnie looking, she stepped a bit closer, taking a quick look. Was there another prisoner? It was a boy, she noticed. He looked to be a tad older than her. He had light brown skin, wild black hair, though she couldn't tell what the color of his were - he appeared to be sleeping. But she did see a long red scar on his left eye, and another red color in the shape of a fang under his right eye. His face was angular, his build looked muscular. As she began to take another closer look, an alarm blared off the walls, startling her and Donnie out of their own musings.

She looked up at the ceiling, her gaze travelling back down to the boy - who wasn't there anymore. She tilted her head in confusion, eyes narrowing just a bit. _Weird._

* * *

"You are aware this is a detention center?"

Donnie and Jewel looked up at Kirby, looking at them worriedly, "Huh?"

Jewel began to scan the whole room as Kirby gestured to it. "You just locked us in a cell."

Jewel closed her eyes calmly, drawling out a loud groan, "Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me!" she snapped, banging her head against the metal repeatedly. Donnie's face dropped faster than a rock in the Hudson Bay, "A-Affirmative." he sighed. He and Jewel must've been so tired that they forgot once the doors were shut, they were automatically locked. Damn it. And this mission had started out well, now it was just a nightmare. He gnawed at his lip, turning to the door. "Um...I think I can get us out -"

The Newtralizer's - dubbed by yours truly, but don't tell Mikey, he's protective of that - suddenly engulfed the glass window from the other side, a snarl hissing through his sharp fangs.

 _"I hate you all."_

 _"GYAAAAAAH - EVENTUALLY!"_

He, Jewel, and Mr. O'Neil were backed up against the other wall side by side. And Jewel gulped, "Um...Donnie?" she squeaked, her eyes wide and fearful.

He swallowed thickly, "Y-Yeah?"

"Uh, I think this solo mission was definitely a terrible, terrible idea."

"Couldn't agree more _\- and that's not helpful!"_

 _"It's not supposed to be!"_

Kirby tapped Donnie on the shoulder, breaking the quarreling of the two teens as he faced the older man in the small room. "Um, Donatello? Julia?" he rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh - are you two sure you know what you're doing?"

"Of course!"

"Oh hell no."

He snapped his head to the only girl in the room, glaring daggers at her, "That's not helping!" he snapped, his vein bulging.

She shrugged uncaringly, "Then find a support group."

He smacked his forehead in frustration, "Okay, don't take this personally, but how does Leo deal with you?" he asked. frustrated beyond belief with this mission, and it felt like dull ache was brushing the base of his skull. Jewel chuckled humorlessly, "Honestly? I don't got a clue."

* * *

Donnie turned - thank goodness for his brothers - to find a pair of baby blue eyes narrowed, filled with pure and utter betrayal.

"You _named_ something without me?" he repeated accusingly, and Donnie made a face, exasperated. Mikey looked over his shoulder, "and you _let_ him name something without me?"

Jewel blinked at him, her eyes flat as board, "Oh for Christ's sake, does that really matter right now?" she asked in exasperation. Okay, somehow, through no fault of their own - don't give us that look - Julia and Donatello had single handedly managed to get nearly all the members of their small family pissed off with them. Raph was mad at Donnie for ditching them to prove a point and bringing Jewel along, Leonardo was just disappointed with them, and Mikey was mad at them because Donnie named a new villain without him and Jewel just did nothing. This had to be their worst day. And it was still early, That's bad, even for Jewel and Donnie.

Thundering pounding doors resonated through all their ears, shaking them to the very core - though Jewel conveyed no emotion other than a subtle twitch of her arm. The Newtralizer was still outside, ready to rip them into shreds, roaring and howling in pure rage. "We've gotta get out of this prison!" Leo said, sowrds ready in hand if the alien creature would get through.

"Technically it's a detention center," Kirby corrected, ignoring the eye roll to the heavens from Jewel - he was used to her by now, he was her psychologist - "The difference being -

Raphael rolled his eyes, "Not now Donnie - oh."

Kirby raised a brow at him, staring at him if he'd just grown two heads, while Jewel snickered under her breath, "Sorry Mr. O'Neil." he apologized sheepishly. He turned his gaze on Leo, face flat as board, "Great," he droned, "Now there's two of them."

Jewel shrugged, "Could be worse," she smirked behind her mask, "we could be stuck with two Raphaels."

Leo chuckled while Donatello and Michelangelo outright laughed, shaking their heads in amusement while Raphael merely glared holes into that girl, as if he wanted to vaporize her with his almighty glare as she continued to taunt at him. Kirby merely shook his head in amusement, smiling at the five.

* * *

After approximately five minutes of lovestruck gaping on the floor, Donatello managed to catch up to Jewel in the tunnels.

This day hadn't started out the way he wanted it to, but boy did he love that hell of an ending! April...she...she kissed him! Finally! Well, it was on the cheek but he'll take what he can get. Though he was partly embarrassed with the way Raphael put on his little...show. April absolutely beamed at him, her crystal blue orbs lighting with gratitude, her smile sending his heart racing faster than a rocket. His cheek still tingled with the touch of her sweet lips.

"Jewel wait!" he called after her. She turned around to face, taking the mask off, revealing her nonchalant smirk as she folded her arms across her chest as leaned her weight on foot, "What Dr. Wackledoodle?" she greeted him teasingly.

He rolled his eyes skyward; good grief, before shrugging at her, "I just wanted to say thank you for coming along. Really couldn't've done this without you." he thanked, offering her a smile. She seemed to be taken aback, her smirk faltering before it returned lopsidedly. She waved a hand dismissively, "Gee, don't get all cheesy on me, D. It was no trouble." she rebuffed with a scoff.

He shook his head, "Still. Thank you."

"You're welcome. But I do have one question, though."

He blinked, his smile fading slightly, "What's that?"

"Why'd you wanna go all Batman for this mission? Were you tryin' to impress April or something?" she asked him, her expression twisting into something more calculating and curious as she tilted her head, awaiting for his response.

Immediately, his cheeks burned a light pink as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Well, Raph kinda embarrassed me during training this morning."

"So?"

"April saw..." he trailed off, biting his lip, "And, uh, Raph told me I don't have a shot with her." he finished awkwardly, pursing his lips tightly.

Jewel stared back at him. Her eyebrow was raised, her eyes disbelieving as she continued to stare at him blankly, making him squirm under his gaze. Was this how Leo and other guys felt when she stared at them like that? Finally, she threw her head back, laughing. He started, eyes wide with the deer caught in the headlights look.

She laughed for a couple of more seconds, before smiling back at him like he was the dumbest guy on earth. "Of course you have a shot with her. She talks about you all the time." she said.

He blinked. Twice. "Wait, what?" he stammered, not sure if he had heard her right. She nodded, smirking, "Yeah. She talks about you a lot. Donnie this Donnie that yada yada yada." she rolled her eyes at the memory, shaking her head, "But yeah. And Raphie's just sayin' that 'cuz he doesn't think he has a chance with his blonde and shining armor."

Donnie said nothing for the next couple of seconds. What? Jewel thought he had a shot. His brothers didn't seem to think so. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Splinter thought he had a chance. Donnie was a mutant turtle - they all were. None of them had any chances with girls. They wouldn't look at them twice. They'd scream, they'd yell, and they'd run away, calling for help. He didn't blame them. They weren't exactly the best looking teenagers.

Some of that belief changed when April and Jewel came into their lives. April with her sweet personality, kind eyes, gentle fingers when she was patching him up after a rather gruesome mission. Jewel with mischievous eyes, that rebelling smirk, her majestic yet fierce moves. Girls that Leo and Donnie both stupidly fell for when they weren't supposed to. And then Gwen came into the picture. With her big eyes, that cynical smile and her fighting personality. A girl that was Raph's type.

But she actually thought he had a shot with April? He thought she was just mocking him the whole entire time. Like everyone else was. "Really? You think I have a shot? Why?"

Her eyes looked at him up and down, before softening just a tad, "'Cause some girls like guys who are genuinely nice. Someone who's decent. There's not a lot of guys that are like you and Lion Boy. Girls like that in a guy. And I'm pretty sure April's not that shallow." she told him, her voice akin to something was kind and true, like she was speaking fact, so sure of herself.

He couldn't help but smile, "Gee, thanks Jewel." he said, his smile morphing into a smirk, "Does that apply to Leo, too?" he asked in a teasing manner. She frowned at him, rolling her eyes, "Yes, it applies to Lion Boy." she grumbled. Donnie chuckled, "God, when are you two gonna get together already? You two are really obvious. Even you," he laughed, earning a half-hearted punch in return.

"Shut up," she warned, narrowing her eyes, "And the answer's never." she called as she began to walk away, slipping her mask back on. He frowned after her retreating form, "What? Why?" he called, her form fading slowly and and slowly that he almost hadn't catch what she called out.

"'Cause nothing makes sense about me and Lion Boy."

* * *

Gwen swiftly climbed up the fire escape, running up to the girl sitting cross-legged on edge of a water tower, leaned back. She quickly climbed the ladder, walking up to her best friend. The blonde raised a brow; her mask was laid in her lap, her hands picking at it unconsciously, her face was blank, but her midnight blue orbs shone with guilt, and there was somehting else laid beside her.

A manilla folder.

Gwen furrowed her brows in confusion, "Jewel? What's wrong?" she asked in concern as she took a seat, the manilla folder now between them. She had received a text earlier during wrestling practice. Jewel sent her the coordinates and Gwen rushed over here as fast as she could. She told herself it was probably nothing big. Maybe it had something to do with the Foot or Kraang. That's what Gwen assumed.

But...something was off.

After a moment or two, Jewel pursed her lips, "I did something really bad, Gwen," she said, her tone uncertain, unsure. Alarm bells rang in Gwen's head. Okay, something was seriously wrong. "What? I don't -"

"I put a mind control device on Kirby."

Gwen stared. "What?"

Jewel sighed heavily, closing her eye before she turned her head to her, "Shredder told me to put some kind of mind control on April's dad. Something about luring her in for the Kraang." she explained matter-of-factly. Gwen blinked, unsure on how to respond. Wait. What was she supposed to say to that? "Why?" she asked.

The mercenary clenched her jaw tightly, harshly gesturing to the folder, "That." she said through gritted teeth. Gwen raised a brow, pond water eyes travelling down to the folder, hints of paper cracking through. "The folder? What about it?"

Jewel's eyes narrowed at her, expression hardened, "Those are files on my mom." she finally said, glancing at the folder just as Gwen's eyes widened a fraction. "Wait, seriously? Uh -" isn't Jewel supposed to be happy? Gwen didn't even know she wanted to learn more about her mom. She's always been so indifferent to the subject. "Ha-Have you read it?" she stammered, biting the side of her lip.

Jewel looked down, shaking her head, "I closed it as soon as I opened it."

"But don't you wanna know something about her? I didn't even know you did."

She shrugged, "I don't - I mean - I do, but I'm not sure what I wanna know. I mean...what happens if I'm the reason she's dead? I don't know if I can handle that. And I don't even know if Shredder was legit about it. Who knows. Maybe he's just screwing me over just to do his bidding."

Gwen shook her head, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure you're not the reason she's dead. This kind of stuff happens to people. And maybe the files are true. Wasn't Shredder your dad's friend?" she asked, watching as Jewel offered a small smile that didn't quite match her eyes, "More like an acquaintance." she corrected, frowning again, "But Shredder's a manipulative liar. Who knows what he says is true." she said bitterly, her eyes darkening at the thought the crazed ninja master.

The blonde tilted her head, forehead wrinkling, "Then why'd you do it? Mind control Kirby, I mean."

Jewel stared back at Gwen again, her face blank and dull again, "Gwen, if _you_ had weird powers that came out of nowhere, and if _you're_ mom was dead for no reason, wouldn't _you_ wanna know somethin' about her? More than just the stories your dad told you? Maybe just a chance to learn more about her? Some kind of connection." she asked, her tone was intense, and a little angry, and Jewel's eyes welled up just a little.

She sniffed angrily, "What happens if she had powers just like me? What if I got them from her? What if they're the reason why she's dead, what if _I'm_ the reason? The variables of complications don't add up." her voice was now bitter, her jaw clenched.

Gwen sighed; she wasn't sure how to relate. She wasn't close to her parents, and both were in jail. She just lived with her step-father and step-sister. She was somewhat close with them. But if Gwen were in Jewel's shoes...yeah, she'd do about anything to learn anything about a dead relative. "Yeah," she answered quietly, "I would."

* * *

 **Please R &R! Love y'all!**


	26. Showdown Part 1

Jewel leaned back against the cool wall of the blasted hallways of this bloody building. She had her arms folded across her chest, tapping a finger impatiently against her bicep. Her eyes were narrowed, her Tanto sword tucked into her sash, and she took a breath. Today was the day. Today was the day Karai fulfilled her orders. Capture the girl, trade her to the Kraang, then who knows what. Those were also Jewel's orders. But when did she ever listen to authority figures? Shredder wasn't her daddy, she could do whatever the hell she pleased. She didn't like listening to adults very much unless they were her father or Splinter, because both could hand her a painful dose of _Randori_ and she rather not suffer those consequences. She only meant to stay here for a short amount of time. She did her part. She spied, she figured out his plan. Now all she had to do was tell the guys, warn them before it's too late, then ask for forgiveness. But when did she ever have it so easy? Oh right. Never.

She packed everything she needed. Her mother's bracelet, her stuffed German Shepard, and some of her clothes all packed in her duffle bag. She was gonna miss that bed. She forgot how her old bed felt. Her expression was collected and calm, her figure so still that one might miss her. Several soldiers strolled by, hardly offering a second glance. Other than to lift up their masks to wink. She wrinkled her nose at one of them, quietly but with deathlike speed flipping them over and twisting their arms. Jewel strained her ears at the Foot soldiers who were now rushing past her in the dark adjacent hallway. The Invasion was at its peak. Today could be the last day mankind could ever experience any normalcy. It's funny. She had originally thought the human existence would cease to exist when the sun would expand and explode into a literal ball of fire, like the apocalypse or something. It repulsed her to know that a supposed ally of theirs was turning against them just for some grudge over a decade old.

 _Shouldn't be surprised. The bastard is nothing but a twisted, bitter old man,_ she thought bitterly. She shook her head slowly, her nose curled in disgust, suppressing a growl that was at the pit of her throat.

Squaring her shoulders, she turned a heel and turned her head left and right. She'd burned the security cameras, and there was no one around. Smirking to herself, she sped full speed silently to Shredder's office. It looked like one of those rich people offices you see on T.V. Everything was polished to perfection, tower of papers neatly stacked next to the expensive looking laptop. She unzipped one of the pockets of her duffle bag, snatching a piece of paper and pen; the note was a lavender color with roses and the pen was a sparkly pink. She scribbled a quick note with her neat handwriting, smiling to herself as she set it down in front of the laptop. Swiftly, she turned around, slugging her bag over her shoulder, taking one last look of the office.

She walked over to the crystal clear window, lighting her index finger on fire, before burning a tall oval outline on the window, pushing it as she heard it whoosh and shatter into a million pieces to the surface below. The sides were now scorched, and she could hear it crackle slightly. Never pausing for a breath, she clutched her grappling hook, pulling the trigger, watching as she heard the claw stab the side of a building.

Turning her head, staring at the note awaiting to be read, she smirked, _"Sayonara, asshole,"_

And she was out the window in less than a second, out of sight.

* * *

They weren't prepared. It didnt feel like it. _He_ didn't feel like he was prepared. A moment of silence overcame the whole group, pawning silently at the information Donnie had just delivered. His expression was calm as always, but his head was complete mess.

 _Holy crap holy crap I have no idea what I'm doing we're the only ones who can put a stop to this!_

He thought it over and over again. His chest felt tight, his head was starting to hurt, and his whole body felt heavy, his skin crawling with anxiety. He swallowed thickly, delivering the orders calmly and sternly, keeping his voice in check, keeping it from cracking. He couldn't crack. Not now. Like Captain Ryan said: _There's no time for hesitation._ Just as he was about to pack up, Splinter softly paused him in his stride, "Leonardo," he said, "a moment, please."

Leo nodded, staring back at his father's kind crimson eyes. "With the world at stake," he started, "the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission,"

"Yes, Sensei,"

"No matter what you have to sacrifice, or _who."_

He reeled back in surprise, and Leonardo was momentarily taken aback. He composed himself in an instant and walked off, mind reeling and spinning. Everything was spinning in his head. What did Sensei mean? Did that mean he'd have to sacrifice his brothers, loved ones, his _family?_ _Could_ he? He'd never thought in a million years he'd have to make a decision like this. He couldn't sacrifice them. They were his _brothers_ for crying out loud. Why would their own father even suggest that? Unless he meant...

Wait. Did he mean that _Leo_ would have to sacrifice _himself?_

He wasn't sure if he could do that. Risk his own life. Death was an odd concept for him. What would happen to him after his own life ended? Sensei used to say they could be reincarnated and born into a new life. Or they would go up into Heaven. To think, this morning would be the last day he would ever wake up? Unknown of what could befall on him. Today could be the last day he - _everyone_ \- got to live their life one last time. It was sad to think the people of New York - Earth - would die an unworthy death, never knowing what hit them or what could happen. They packed everything they could use for this mission. He and Donnie talked through multiple strategies, constructed equipment, they geared a multitude of weapons, strapped belts, grappling hooks, a few bombs, and Leo tucked a gun in one of his pockets - Jewel gave it to him, don't judge.

After about ten minutes, they all stood tall and proud in front of the Shellraiser, Leo's hands firmly placed on his hip, as he heroically proclaimed, "Gentlemen, let's save the world!"

But before they could set a foot into the subway car, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

 _"Aren't you boys forgetting something?"_

Leo felt his eyes widen just a fraction, and he and everyone else whirled around. Standing meters away from him was a pretty girl with a lopsided smirk, one hand on her hip, and a spark of sly mischief in her dark royal blue eyes. He must've looked like a deer caught in the headlights when she chuckled at him, striding right over to them with confidence, her hands now behind her back as she stood an inch from him now. She smirked teasingly at him, "Hey, Hero Boy," she greeted, her voice an octave higher as she wrinkled her nose and sniffed, "What do I smell?" she asked curiously, tilting her head, "Is that sweat? Or just that painfully cheesy declaration you just said a second ago?" she sucked air through her teeth, "Please don't do that again, kay? That was hard to bear." she jested, smirking back up at him as everyone else openly laughed at his bright cherry face.

Mikey bounced over to them and tackled Jewel into a bear hug, _"Dudette!"_ he happily cried, squeezing her, "Man are we happy to see you here!"

Jewel stiffened for a second, before forcing herself to relax at the touch, shaking her head and scoffing, "Well, duh, I couldn't let _Raphie_ here yell your ears out. That's cruel - even for _me."_

Leo couldn't help but laugh, it was rumbling in his chest, and he heard Raph groan and growl, stomping into the Shellraiser, grumbling something about _'stupid Fire Queen,'._ After Mikey let her go, Donnie patted her shoulder in a friendly manner, before the two walked off into the car with Raph, Jewel walked over to him, her mask in hand as she twirled her Tanto, stuffing it in her sash. She raised an eyebrow at him, smirking. "To battle, _Captain?"_

He chuckled, nodding once, "Yeah. To battle."

* * *

April looked glumly after Splinter, sitting cross-legged, his back facing her. She clenched her jaw, walking over to the pinball machine. She folded her hands over it, leaning as she glared down at the floor as if she wanted to burn holes into them. How could Splinter refuse his aid to his own sons? He raised them, he was supposed to love them. It didn't make sense. What would happen if they died? They were risking their lives and he was acting like he couldn't care less. He shouldn't be acting this way and do nothing. Nobody should be doing nothing to help them. They have to do something.

But what bothered her the most was the way he snapped at her. April had never seen Splinter yell like that to anybody - let alone herself. He called her some child - he talked down to her like one. Tears stung her eyes and a look of hurt creased her freckled features. A surge of anger swelled inside her, and she wanted nothing but to curl in a ball or hit something.

She saw her fathers tired reflection in the machine, forehead creased. "Hey, April. Where is everybody?" he asked her curiously. She narrowed her eyes, "The Kraang are making their move. The turtles are on their way to TCRI." she answered, bitterness laced in her tone.

"TCRI? Oh no," he gasped, and she whirled around, her brows furrowed, "What's wrong?"

"The Kraang know that the turtles are coming for them." he said, his expression creased and twisted. Her eyes widened, heart in her throat. "How do you know this?" she asked, quickly taking her T-Phone and contacting Donnie. Her dad wasn't their prisoner anymore. How would he know something like this? Something had to be seriously wrong, and this sounded very suspicious.

His hand softly clutched the top of her T-Phone, and she glanced up at him, _"Don't."_ he firmly said, "The Kraang have hacked the T-Phones' encryption. We've got to warn the turtles in person."

She hesitated, stammering. She wasn't too sure about that. The Kraang apparently needed her for the Invasion, well, at least she thought so. But what would happen if they caught her? Would they capture or not even bother? "Uh -"

Her father placed a stiff hand over her shoulder, his expression blank, "I'm your father, April. You have to trust me."

You know what? Screw it. The turtles needed her. She wasn't just going to sit here and do nothing. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she nodded firmly, "Come on," her dad encouraged and she followed after him with a small smile on her face. As they stepped on the stair to the entrance of the lair, she heard Sensei's voice echo through the lair, "April? Where are you going?"

She turned her head a bit, "Jewel and the turtles are in trouble. I've gotta go warn them." she answered, her voice slightly angry and obvious. "But you know it is dangerous to be on the surface," he reminded her, and she couldn't help the anger burning at the pit of her chest and she huffed, nostrils flaring. "Well some of us cant just sit around here and do nothing!" she snapped, her and her father exiting through the turnstiles. She didn't care about hurting his feelings at the moment. Her friends were in trouble, and she was frustrated with him.

She raised a brow as she and her dad walked down the subway tracks. Okay...something was seriously off. "Dad, what're you doing? This isn't the way to TCRI."

He didn't say anything, and slowly panic was ebbing its way to her system. Now that she thought about it...she accessed his stance. His whole body was stiff, and his voice sounded...contained, robotic, like someone was speaking for him. Worriedly, she asked, "Dad, what's going on?"

Suddenly, there was a burst of smoke. She heard something - _someone_ \- drop down, surrounding her on both sides and grab her by the arms, and her arms were forced behind her back. Automatically she struggled for release, yelling out. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, and her skin paled, and her stomach plummeted with dread. Her head spun and spun. And her eyes burned. what was going on? Why were the Foot here? Why was her _dad_ helping them?!

"Hey there, princess," she heard a familiar voice coyly greet her. She saw Karai pass by her father, his head down and hands to his side, two squealing MOUSERS on both sides to her, her and Karai now nose to nose. "Miss me?"

Her eyes narrowed in rage, ruthless and full of pure hate, but her sweeter than sugar itself, "Yeah, actually," she lied, "last time I saw you I forgot to give you _this!"_

She thrust her knee hard into Karai's gut, and she tumbled back a few paces, clutching her midsection with a wheeze, and April smiled to herself in satisfaction. _Thank you, Jewel,_ she thought. She was so glad Jewel was in her life, the girl was a lifesaver...sometimes. Karai glared back at her as another girl dropped down to her side, her face blank. April's smug grin faltered slightly; was that Veronica? Jewel once mentioned her to April once. She remembered her saying that she wasn't a very worthy opponent - more like a toy to throw around. Jewel's words, not hers.

Karai straightened from her pained slouch, and turned to Kirby, "You've done well. Now take the message to Splinter." she ordered. Her father bowed to her immense surprise, and without another word or glance at his daughter, he marched back the way they had originally came, the MOUSERS by his side like guard dogs. He disappeared around the corner even as April called and cried out to him desperately. She heard Veronica chuckle, and she snapped her head to meet her vicious smile, smugness in her brown eyes, "How pathetic. Just like your little friend." she taunted ruthlessly.

The Foot soldiers tugged her forward, and she glared hatefully into the two girls, "You brainwashed him," she growled, her face red in anger as tears stung her eyes. Karai offered her a lopsided smirk, "I know," she said, turning away with the other soldiers, "Pretty cool, right?" she asked mockingly, walking away from April even as she continued to glare holes to her back. A hand forced her chin up as she faced Veronica the Witch - Jewel's special nickname for her - "Oh, we weren't the ones who brainwashed him," she corrected with a shark like grin, "I believe it was your little firecracker friend." and with one last smirk, she jerked her chin down as April's eyes widened in confusion, her brain halting.

 _Jewel? What - Why would she do that? She wouldn't do that, right?_

But Jewel was also a kunoichi. A master of deception. She lied to everyone for months, so of course she would do that. But why? Weren't they friends? April thought that, she believed it.

But...she was wrong, wasn't she?

* * *

Jewel and the turtles silently make their way into TCRI. They smoothed easily into the shadows, the whites of their eyes only visible. Silent as the wind, movements slowed and careful, they snuck inside and approach the portal. "We gotta take out that portal," Leo whispered to his brothers, and Jewel rolled her eyes. _No kidding,_ she thought, and her brows shot up in surprise when she saw a very familiar looking rock monster standing like a bodyguard in front of the Kraang portal. "I forgot about him," she heard Donnie hiss in distaste.

"Don't worry," Leo assured, although Jewel could tell that he was mostly assuring himself than them, "We'll be gone before that rock monster even knows we're here."

She furrowed her brows as she stared at the rock monster standing guard, and she couldn't help but scowl behind her mask. She was a vengeful person, and thanks to lava monster, a close friend of hers risked his life, and everyone knew by that point that Leatherhead's lost greatly saddened Mikey. Leatherhead was the only friend that only understood Mikey. Jewel wanted to try and understand him - but she just couldn't. Mikey was a ray of sunshine, full of hope and wonder, and his baby blue eyes reminded her of a child. And she felt strangely protective of him. Jewel was tainted by darkness. She was cold, ruthless, and a complete nut job.

Leo points the odd Omni-Disintegrator straight at the portal, in a similar position she had showed him when she taught him how to shoot a gun. She couldn't hold back the smirk at the memory. He had looked so terrified for his life. She remembered doubling over in hysterics when screeched in fright as he shot the gun, jumping back a few paces. To say he was less than amused was the understatement of the year.

She watched him aim the shot precisely, firing forwards the portal. To their pure disbelief and horror, the shot seemed to bounce off and remain unharmed, and she could hear the hum of machinery and the light from the bounce shot. Their eyes widened to saucers. _A force field?!_ she exclaimed in her head, slapping a hand over her face as she shook her head. "There's a _force field?!"_ Leo exclaimed, glaring at Donnie hotly, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

Donnie narrowed his eyes, a smile twisting his lips as he sarcastically said, "Well, because I wanted us to fail," and then, _"Obviously I didn't know!"_ he snapped. Jewel rolled her eyes at the pair, "Y'all are idiots," she muttered under her breath. Suddenly, she sees the Kraang whirl around, and to their terror and her irritation, they aim their guns and fire at them. Instantly, she vaults away and twirls herself in the air, maneuvering herself on the wall before sliding down to the floor.

"Anyone got a Plan B?" she heard one of the guys holler. She sees a shot fired and explode the lava creature's limbs, becoming molten lava as it howls in pain. She heard Leo holler as she fired her own fireballs at a few droids, "Donnie, how's that Plan B coming?"

"I'm _thinking."_

"Think _faster."_

Donnie groaned. "I can probably hack into the Kraang system if you'd give me enough _time!"_ he snapped fiercely, blocking off a few droids as he flipped over to the railing, and quickly retrieved his bag, pulling out the toaster he had modified. He plugged his T-Phone into one of their walls as he waited for the data. Jewel unsheathed her Tanto sword as she bolted towards a few Kraang droids, slicing them from their hips to their shoulders. She knew they were shooting at her because they couldn't get a shot in thanks to her speed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could've she saw the portal begin to activate. And her eyes widened. "Well," she said, shooting at a blob's face without looking, "that's not good."

She saw the lava monster erupt into smaller pieces and they reattach just as quick, Mikey and Leo staring in horror. She heard the turtles talk - argue - and she quickly came to Donnie's side. "Guys, I think I got it," he said, typing something into the coding's programming. "Great, now do it!" she ordered and he flinched, glaring at her for a quick second before jamming a finger on the screen's button, and she heard the portal power down to a hum, lifeless. A smile slowly etches its way to Donnie's face as he pumps his fist in the air, "Yes! All hail me!" he hollered jubilantly as she shakes her head in an amusing manner. The portal suddenly surges a beam of energy, and numerous of projections turn upward, shooting right at the sky, glowing the room in an ominous magenta for a second as Mikey turns his head and his eyes widen. A portion of a large, spherical ship hovers over the dark grey glass, and she and the turtles huddle in a circle.

"Holy giant floating shippy ship!" Mikey exclaimed in terror. The Kraang line up and aim their weapons as if they were soldiers in the military. "Leo, do the zippy zappy thing now!" he barks hurriedly.

Leo shook at the disintegrator desperately, pleading for it to power on and work. "Come on, baby, come on, baby. Come on ** _baby!"_ ** he chanted hopefully. The large device suddenly dinged to life, and a full blown grin graced him as Leo laughed in grateful relief. "Yes!" he exclaimed before whirling around to shoot, as they all waited in anxious anticipation, excited grins all over their lips as Leo shouted heroically, "Say goodnight, Kraang!"

Jewel watched with a smirk as the homemade device began to whirl and hum as it fired to shoot, only for their eyes to bulge and their hearts to a stop, grins dropping faster than the temperature. The disintegrator hummed to a lifeless machine, and Jewel clenched her jaw. That was their last hope. They had nothing else to depend on. They didn't have another plan, they weren't prepared for this at all. Now they were doomed in the Kraang's clutches. Who knows what the Kraang were going to do with them. Mankind was ruined, doomed to extinction, all because the turtles and Jewel were unprepared. Rookie mistake.

She didn't realize she had tuned out when she heard Leo's voice. "Go!" he barked, and she furrowed her brows. Everything in the building was chaos. It was loud with blasters being fired and blown, the lava monster slowly came towards them, hot, fiery eyes lighting up something akin to malicious hatred. And a few Kraang blons floated in hover ships behind him as if they were his goons and the lava monster was their leader. She looked around as she saw Leo's stormy eyes, narrowed and determined. And that look in his eyes seemed very familiar. What was he up to?

"Whoa, Leo." Donnie warned as he brought his hands to his head, "You're not thinking what I _think_ you're thinking!"

Without warning, Leonardo tossed the disintegrator aside, unsheathing his other sword as he bolted through other droids, slicing them like they were butter and his katanas were butter knives. Her eyes widened as Mikey pulled her wrist as they hopped in, "He's thinking it!" Donnie realized in terror, all of them sans Leo taking cover in one of their hover ships, quickly sliding out of the hover and sprinting back to where they came from. Hurriedly, they strapped their wing packs on before something caught the corner of Jewel's eye.

Leo was on his knees, surrounded by Kraang droids, looking and aiming their guns at him. His hands clutched one of his katanas tightly like it was his lifeline, and it pierced the power cell. He withdrew his sword instantly and she didn't see anything beyond the pink flames and grey explosions. Donnie jerked her away as her heart sped up a little. She heard a window shatter and they all hopped off the building back outside and soared in the sky. Panic pumped through her veins when she saw someone falling and flailing in the air. He's gonna die, she realized in horror. Leo was gonna die and it would be all her fault because she didn't do anything. She didn't want Leo to die because he could leave everyone else heartbroken and they would all mourn his death, and they wouldn't be about to handle the pain. Jewel didn't think she could handle the thought of losing another friend. If you asked her months ago, she wouldn't have shed a tear for Lion Boy. But times have chnmaged and she changed a little. She cared about Leo and he didn't deserve a cruel death like this. He deserved to die at an old age, and it should be a natural and painless death, like a peaceful sleep.

* * *

The building began to erupt into a multitude of explosions as he jumped out of one of their windows, the noises stung his ears. He felt a gust of wind rush through him as his eyes squeeze shut. He felt himself go heavy and limp, travelling down. Mustering up his courage, he peeled his eyes open as they widened to the size of saucers. His breath caught in his throat, and he could hear and feel the chilling wind. He couldn't scream, his was pounding against his ribcage, and he flailed as his mouth silently screamed, no sound coming out. His skin paled several pale shades of green.

Eyes stinging, he shut them tight as he covered them with his arms, and everything in his life began to flash behind his closed eyes...

 _"And you promise you'll stay here with me until the monster's gone?" a five year old Michelangelo timidly asked behind his blanket, his teddy bear clutched for dear life._

 _Leo chuckled, gently smiling at his little brother, "I promise, Mikey,"_

 _"You think it'll work, Leo?" a seven year old Donnie nervously asked as he fumbled with the machine cradled in his green hands._

 _Leo placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it as he gave him an assuring smile, "Positive, D."_

 _"You know what, Fearless? You're a pretty good brother." a ten year old Raph admitted, giving him a lopsided grin._

 _Leo chuckled, nudging him in the shoulder, "You too,"_

 _He places a hand over hers, smiling softly as she looks at him, "Well, I'm your friend," he said, his tone true and soft, looking into her pretty eyes as a beautiful smile graced her lips._

 _Dark blue eyes bore into one another, and his eyes begin to flutter close, feeling heavy, and he leans in..._

 _"Gotcha!"_

He blinks wide awake as he flinches, almost crying out as a voice breaks him out of his memories, clutching his armpits as his stomach flops around. He cries out as Raph soars them closer to the ground before flying back high up into the sky. He snaps his head up as he meets Raph's triumphant gaze. He felt himself still shaking, still a little breathless as he heaved a sigh of relief, "Oh. Thanks, Raph,"

"Anytime buddy,"

His brothers and Jewel surround him as they all glide in the sky. Thank god for Donnie's brains and these amazing wings. Mikey was right; turtles _were_ born to fly! Their faces are coated with triumph and wide grins as he hears the angelic sound of Mikey and Jewel breathlessly laughing. "I can't believe it. We saved the world!" Donnie yelled in amazement as Jewel nodded next to him, Mikey pumping a fist into the air, "Yeah!" his little brother boasted, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Before anyone could say anything else, something dark and silver loomed behind Mikey, engulfing them into its ominous shadow, and all of their eyes widened as they stared at the Technodrome in horror...


	27. Showdown Part 2

"I think I speak for all of us when I say: _AAAAHHHH!"_ Mikey howled in fear as he flails around, yelping in slight pain when Jewel slaps him with an irritated look in her eyes. Leo ignored them, "What the heck _is_ that thing?!" Raph asked, hardly understanding of what's happening right now. Leo stared up at the humming Technodrome, "It's the end of the world!" he screeched, his heart pounding. "Actually, it's just the end of humanity's reign as the planet's dominant life form. You know, like when dinosaurs -"

Leo interrupted his scientific rambling, they didn't have any time for it as Leo exclaimed in disbelief at his brother, his eye twitching in frustration. "Now? Really? Y-You're going to do this _now?"_ Donnie narrowed his brown/red eyes, chuckling humorlessly, "Well, excuse me, but it's how I deal with _stress!"_ he snapped, Jewel rolling her eyes at the pair, "Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting - but y'all wanna continue your pissing contest _later?!"_ she barked, her voice irritated.

"Well, maybe it doesn't have weapons. Does it look like it doesn't have weapons?" Raph yelled over them. As if one cue, a laser beam whizzed past them, causing them to jerk away from the beam as more and more fired. "I-I think it has weapons!" Leo stammered nervously. Screams ripped through the air as magenta lasers began to fire past them as they screamed along with the people of New York below them. Everything became dizzy as everyone crash at different sites. Leo and Raph crashed nearby an alleyway, Leo roughly landed on the mattress, hitting his head on the metal dumpster, gingerly rubbing his head. _Ugh. It's gonna be one hell of a concussion,_ he thought as he groaned.

He heard Raph climb out of the dumpster as footsteps approached them, "Are you guys alright?" Donnie asked them worriedly, and Leo sat up with a groan. Jewel roughly helped to his feet with her enhanced strength, her eyes blank as her mask covered her face. He winced at the harshness of it, and heard Jewel mutter a quiet, "Sorry,"

They all gasped as a very wide and round shadow engulf them, the Technodrome metallically humming past them as their eyes widened. "What do we do now?" Donnie nervously asked. Leo narrowed his eyes, glaring daggers at the blasted ship, "We need to talk to Splinter. Come on."

* * *

Kirby held his head in his hands, voice thick with guilt, "I've done something terrible," he whispered. The turtles frowned sympathetically at him, "Well it wasn't your fault. Just tell us what happened." Donnie asked, his tone gentle and soft. And Jewel hid behind Leo, which Raph raised a suspicious brow at, before focusing back on Kirby.

"It appears the Kraang have formed an alliance with your enemy, Shredder." he informed, their eyes widening marginally as their eyes travelled to Jewel, either out of confusion or an accusatory glare from Raph. She hardly reacted, shrugging as she folded her arms. "That's not all, I fear the Shredder has handed April over to the Kraang." he added, his blue eyes wide with horror, he glanced up, and his eyes widened more if they could.

Jewel blinked at him, her expression hidden under her black mask as he pointed a shaky finger at her, "I-It's her," he whispered quietly that Donnie barely heard him. He raised a brow as he shook his head, "What?"

"It's _her_. That's the girl who placed the mind control device on me. She - She _tricked_ me." he told them, his voice caked in terror as his skin paled with anxiety as his breaths came out in shallow pants. They all glanced at each other, Raph whipping his gaze on Jewel, his electric eyes narrowing into angry slits. He took a step forward, but Mikey clutched his arm back, jerking him away as they stared at Jewel in bewilderment. "Jewel, what's he talking about?" Leo hesitantly asked, not exactly sure if he wanted to know the answer.

The girl narrowed her eyes, taking the mask off her face, her expression venomous, "What do you _think_ he's talking 'bout?" she asked them rhetorically, shaking her head as she scoffed, " _I'm_ the one who brainwashed him. I did it." she admitted, her tone cold. They stared at her, speechless, even Kirby looked less terrified and more confused. Raph growled, pulling at his arm, but Mikey tightened his grip, grunting with effort, "Oh, when I get my hands on you -"

 _"Raph,"_ Leo warned, shaking his head once at his brother, who continued to glower at Jewel. He wearily looked back at Jewel, "Okay, but why? Was it under orders?" he couldn't think of any other reason Jewel would brainwash Kirby willingly, she wasn't that type of girl and he knew it even if she didn't. "Did Shredder make you?" he probed after she didn't answer. Her jaw was clenched as her lips pursed tightly together. There was rage in her eyes.

"Jewel?" Donnie said, "Come on, it's us. If Shredder forced you, we won't get mad," he assured her, offering her a small smile. "Yeah," Mikey piped up, "We know you were only working for them again for us, it's not your fault. _Right,_ Raph?" he pointedly stared at Raph, nudging him with an elbow. Raph grunted, snarling slightly at Jewel, who glared right back with equal force.

"Jewel..." Leo called out hesitantly. She wasn't answering, and she only seemed to get angrier with every word. He didn't understand; Shredder ordered her around, right? Wasn't that how he treated his soldiers? Surely she wouldn't do this willingly, but she also could've told them. She sighed heavily, "Not technically," she finally said after a moment, and they all looked even more confused than ever before, and Raph looked even angrier - if that was possible. "What?"

Her gaze felt like it was piercing right through him as she answered with every ounce of honesty, "He gave me a choice, okay? I didn't _have_ to do it. But I did."

It took him a couple of seconds, his brain felt like it was on pause like a movie. And he stammered as a flash of shock fell on all their faces - even Raph before it was replaced by anger. "Wh - _What?"_ he asked incredulously, "Why - Why would you _do_ that?" he voice raised in anger, as his eyes narrowed and brimmed with anger and betrayal. "You wouldn't do that - I-I - _I trusted you!"_ he snapped at her venomously, balling his fists. What was she thinking? How could she? If she didn't put the stupid device on Kirby then all of this could've been avoided. Then they wouldn't have to risk the Earth _and_ April! Now Sensei - his _father_ could be in danger because she wanted to. Why would she? She's supposed to be on _their_ side! Leo couldn't help but get mad. He had been protesting and protesting for months that she was on their side. That Jewel wasn't gainst them and that she wasn't the same cold and ruthless girl she had thought to be.

Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she stepped a little closer to him, "Yeah, well, big mistake on your part." she said bitterly, "What did you expect? _Huh?"_ she raised her brows as everybody tensed, "Tell me Leonardo, what did you expect from an _ex-assassin_ or a _mercenary?"_ she jabbed a finger at his chest, "I _lie._ I lie about a lot of things to a lot of people. What, you think I make an exception for friends and family?" to everyone else's surprise, a loud smack echoed the room as they all gasped. Leo's head whipped to the side as his cheek stung from where she had slapped him, and he turned his surprised and crossed gaze back at her, clenching his jaw.

"Well, surprise, surprise, I _don't."_ she snarled, "I don't make an exception for anybody else. I put _my_ safety first. I don't risk my life for anybody, I don't put my life on the line. I look after _myself._ You think I give a _damn_ for a bunch of freaks I just met?!" she spat, smoke rising off from her body as she burned her livid gaze on them. They all reeled back in surprise, expressions hurt and sad, Kirby just looked dumbfounded and unsure, sliding his eyes over to everyone uncertainly. Leo looked absolutely furious, huffing as he grinded his teeth.

This didn't sound like the Jewel he knew. The girl he developed a strong crush on. She seemed nice and spunky. Confident, a total badass kunoichi. A girl who was his odd type, with her rebellious, adventurous attitude, her jesting smirk and those sly eyes that captivated him. The beauty that charmed him, her crazy fast moves as she fought, gliding to one opponent to the next. Someone who just helped him out of his comfort zone, the person who showed him there was more to life than ninjitsu and impressing his father, more than a skilled fighter. But now...either she's mind controlled, or it's all been a lie. This girl looked more bitter, someone who was cold and calculating. A hateful human being. As he stared at her vivid midnight blue eyes, he didn't see Jewel. He saw some sort of stranger.

He and Jewel locked their blue eyes for a long, long moment. The room seemed to be electric and tense, and no one knew what to do. Leo's eyes stung when she shook her head, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she threw her hands up in exasperation, "You know what, _screw_ this. _Damn_ all of you." and without another word, without another glance, she sped out of the lair, leaving a chilling gust of wind in her wake. And Leo felt his eyes sting with tears as his vision blurred, and he felt his anger simmer down a bit, before he sighed. Now he felt tired and exhausted. He felt like an idiot for trusting her. He trusted her with _everything_ he had. He always worried about her. And this was all just one, _stupid_ mistake.

How could someone he called a friend just turn her back on them?

Donnie frowned, sharing a look with Raph and Mikey, who could only shrug. He turned back to a dumbfounded Kirby, "S-So, uh, where is April now?" he stuttered, his tongue tripping over his words. Leo flinched; he almost forgot everyone else was here. he swallowed thickly and focused on the task at hand. He could deal with Jewel later. He forced the stinging tears, clenching his jaw painfully as his cheek stung horribly; he hated that stupid super strength sometimes.

"They're taking her to the Techondrome." Kirby supplied, licking his lips nervously. "The what?" Raph barked in confusion.

The TV suddenly flickered to life as they turned their attention to the familiar male reporter, _"Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe. Pandemonium in the streets as a Techno-Terror-Drome hovers over downtown."_ he informed, his voice composed but panicked at the same time.

"Dudes, this is getting freakier by the minute," Mikey squeaked in fear. "We just _escaped_ that freaky sphere and now we gotta break _into_ it?" Raph complained, frustrated. Mr.O'Neil closed tighter on himself, "In a matter of hours the world we once knew will be gone," he said in horror, but calm, "The Kraang want April to help in their conquest of Earth,"

Leo turned his eyes away from the television, peering at his brother. He narrowed his eyes, firmly nodding once, which they mimicked as their silent understanding.

They had a friend to save.

* * *

Jewel huffed through her nose as stomped on the rooftops. She could hear people screaming as the large and round ship hovered over the grey clouds. She couldn't care less about the stupid invasion at the moment, she was too angry to think much on it. Perhaps she shouldn't have snapped at Leo earlier, but the idiot wouldn't understand why she had to do this. His mom was probably dead by now - she was just a never told anyone she wanted to learn more about her mom. She would ask her dad whenever she felt bored - he never truly knew about her curiosity. She learned about some stories between her mom and dad. She had a million questions about her. Her favorite color, her favorite show, what she liked to do for fun. Or the school she went to, if she was ever in any clubs, or if she was at the top of her class. Did she know how to fight? There was just so many Jewel wasn't sure where to begin.

Yeah she could tell the turtles. She could tell them the only reason she brainwashed Kirby was because Shredder would hand over the folder that would tell her everything she wanted to know about her mom. She's been waiting for her whole life. She wanted to know more about her mom. She didn't want the jewelry or the pictures - they were all nice, but it wasn't enough, she wasn't even sure if the files were enough. But they were something, and she'll take what she can get. But the guys wouldn't understand. They could sympathize and pity her, but she didn't want their pity - she hated that. Jewel wasn't the kind of girl that needed cheering up. Was it so wrong if she just wanted to learn more about her own mother? Wasn't it worth all the trouble?

She hadn't opened the folder yet. She didn't know what was in there. Jewel wasn't even sure if the files were actually true. They could be some random crap about business or something. Shredder could've been lying his ass off. And yes Jewel could've made a huge mistake if it was all just one big joke - but she didn't care goddammit. The possibility to all of Jewel's questions - questions she wanted to know about for so long. How could she pass that up? She tried to smash the hope, she really tried. She tried to reason that it all could've been untrue. There could've been anything in there. Maybe just a stack of blank papers. Shredder was just toying with her, using her own mother as her weakness. And Jewel wobbled at the chance.

Her T-Phone began to ring from her pocket. Taking it out, she raised a brow at the ID. _Unknown?_ "What the hell?" she muttered under her breath, accepting the call as she pressed the T-Phone to her ear. "Hello?" she wearily asked.

She heard something crackle in the background, along with a few high-pitched screams. The voice sounded familiar, _"Uh, J-Jewel? I-I'm sorry if I'm I-interruptin-ing b-b-but I-I - ow. I-I'm kind-a I-in tr-trouble."_

Jewel's brows knitted together. That sounded like a child's voice. And she wasn't too crazy about kids - too annoying. But she did remember a young, fellow gymnast. "Roxy?" she asked in surprise. "Hey girl, what's up?" she kept her voice calm, friendly, but she listened carefully to Roxy's voice. It sounded different from last time. She was stuttering, there were screams that sounded like children or young adults, and it sounded like she was in pain.

 _"I-I'm r-real-really s-sorry abou-about this, but uh, th-there was so-some weird shoo-shooting thing a-and I-I don-don't really kno-know wh-what happened. I ca-cant fi-find my-my par-parents and I-I'm real-really sca-scared an-and I don't k-know wh-who e-else to call,"_ Jewel heard her sniffed and assumed she was crying by now. She was never good with children. She would lose her patience with them and she found them incredibly irritating. But she wasn't totally heartless. Whule she didn't know Roxy very well, she could that she was a good kid. But Roxy had poor choice in role models. Roxy reminded her of a younger version of herself, just with less mischief and more innocence.

"Hey, relax, Rox. Just take a deep breath. Can you call your parents?" she kept her voice level and composed.

 _"N-No, I-I ca-can't. Th-They don't h-have the-their ph-phones with t-them."_

Jewel cursed under her breath before speaking up again, "Okay," she nodded, she did not like where this was about to go. "Look, just tell me where you are, I'll come get and take you to a hospital or somethin'." she offered. The plan seemed simple enough. Maybe Roxy just twisted her ankle or just had one of those cramps. Twelve year old girls got those, right?

 _"O-Okay. I-I'm at my school. H-Harry B. Thompson Middle S-School. Do yo-you t-think you c-can ge-get h-here fast-fast en-enough?"_

Jewel shrugged, her tone nonchalant as she inwardly smirked, "Pretty sure. I'm actually not that far. Just hang in there, kiddo." she said before she kicked her full speed into action, whizzing past the multiple rooftops before halting at the roof of the school. The school didn't look too big. But it seemed big enough to hold in a few classes. She was just surprised that there was a middle school in New York. It was way too big and extravagant for a bunch of schools. But oh well.

She ran and leapt to the back entrance to the school, running through the halls until she pushed the double doors open and scanned the area. She heard a girl's scream, sounding in pain and she ran closer to the scream. Maybe it was saw a small figure huddled and curled into the tree, shaking as the little girl continued to scream. Jewel recognized the ponytail in an instant. Without hesitation, she ran over to the girl, turning her over to reveal Roxy. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears were trailing down her cheeks. Roxy whimpered and Jewel softly shook her shoulder, "Roxy."

Slowly, Roxy's large chestnut eyes fluttered open, and recognition flashed across her pained features. "J-Jewel?" she choked, as if she couldn't believe who she was seeing. Jewel gave her a lopsided smirk, "In the flesh."

Roxy trembled, her arms wrapped around her hip as she cried quietly, "It-It hurts." she whimpered, and that pained voice harshly reminded Jewel when she sat alone in the rooftop, her head felt like it was being electrocuted again, and she screamed and cried until Leo came to her comfort. She quickly admonished the thought of him, she had a kid to focus on. "Okay, just take slow, steady breaths, You'll be okay. Just tell me what hurts exactly." she told her softly, helping her sit up right carefully as to not to stir the pain. Roxy shook her head, choking and gagging as blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. Yeah...that was bad. Really bad. "I-I think I-I wa-was shot o-or some-something." she gagged, tears now trailing to her mouth.

Jewel felt her eyebrows disappear into her hairline, "Hold up, you were shot?" asked Jewel incredulously, "How the heck did that happen?"

"I-I th-think it was-was one of th-those blas-blasting th-things."

 _The Technodrome,_ Jewel realized in horror. One of the shots must've hit Roxy's school. Roxy must've been shot while trying to run to safety. "All right, try to stay still." she commanded firmly. Roxy quirked a shaky brow, tilting her head weakly, "Wh-Why?" she squeaked, her large brown eyes boring into Jewel's midnight blues. She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Relax. I'm just gonna take a quick peek and assess the damage."

The little girl's widened as she shook her head fervently, "N-No - please," she pleaded, trembling in fear, a bead sweat dripped from her brow, "it-it hurts."

"I know it does," Jewel said softly; she knew enough about situations like these that children were occasionally fragile and needed comforting to. So, she supposed she could be a bit gentle with her since she was in extreme pain. Jewel could relate. She's been shot at a younger age, man did it hurt like hell. "But I need to look at the damage so I can help."

The twelve year old continued to shake her head, mumbling and choking on her own blood. Jewel craned her neck to get a better look at her left side, biting her lower lip when she saw a sliver of blood snake through. _Crap,_ she cursed. She was severely losing her patience with the kid's stubbornness right now. Now was not the time to be a little brat. Of course, she couldn't be harsh right now with Roxy, she was already in so much pain.

Jewel forced a gentle smile, "Look, I get it. I know it hurts real bad, but I need you to trust me on this. Can you trust me, Roxy?" she asked in an even tone, staring down at Roxy. The kid swallowed and looked like she was contemplating her choices. Slowly - much to Jewel's relief - she nodded before licking her lips, "W-Will yo-you be gentle?" she whispered, her voice small and quiet that Jewel almost didn't hear her. She kept her voice sweet and sincere, "Of course," she promised.

Roxy weakly nodded, leaning her head to Jewel's stomach. Her breaths came out in unsteady pants, and Jewel moved quickly and carefully as she gently pried her bloody hands off and internally winced at the wound. It was just above her hip to the left of her belly button. It was a deep red, almost black, and she saw a little bit of smoke sizzle from it. It looked scorching and more like lava. She squinted to see how deep the wound was. Unfortunately it was too difficult to tell with all the blood. This wasn't good. She had to rush Roxy to the hospital. Immediately. But how? Jewel couldn't exactly speed them there with her enhanced abilities. That could stir the wound and possibly have Roxy killed. And she doubted the hospital staff was available with this stupid invasion.

Pursing her lips, she calmed her racing heart, fighting off the panic. _Come on, Jewel!_ She told herself, _If you can kill a man with nothing but a toothpick, you can save a kid's life. Just remember what Donnie told you!_

Quickly, she stripped off her black sash, her gun and Tanto and other belongings clanging to the pavement. She'd worry about them later. Balling up the piece of fabric, she pressed it to the wound, and Roxy immediately jumped, yelping in pain. **_"A-Ah!_** What - _What are you doing?!"_ she screeched, squeezing her eyes shut as she squirmed. Jewel hardly reacted, pushing down harder, Roxy crying out in pain. "Don't move," she told her firmly, "I'm just trying to stem the blood flow. I think you've already lost too much. How long ago were you shot?"

She swallowed thickly, squirming as she moaned in discomfort, "I-I'm not s-sure. F-Feels like forever." she whined, balling her hands into fists as she buried her twisted and tear stained face back into Jewel's stomach. Her breaths were quickening. Despite herself, Jewel rolled her eyes, _Like that's gonna help,_ she thought impatiently. She quickly calmed herself down, reminding herself that Roxy was just a kid. A genuinely kind kid that did nothing wrong.

With one hand, she stashed her items into the back pocket of her skirt, tossing the gun aside and stuffing her Tanto into her boot. "Okay, I don't have time to be gentle, try not to scream," was Roxy's only warning and she was suddenly lifted off the ground. She gasped and clawed at Jewel's top, biting back a scream. Jewel maneuvered her in a bridal position as she hoisted her up in her arms. She had hand swooped under Roxy's knees and the other held on tight to the sash against the wound.

Jewel looked left and right of the streets of New York. She didn't see any more of the lasers being fired across the sky, people were still screeching at the top of their lungs as they ran for their life, ducking for safety. She could feel Roxy's feverish and cold skin in her arms, her clothes damp from the sweat and blood. That was a terrible sign. Roxy could pass out any minute if Jewel didn't do something. But how was she going to be able to super speed them without anyone noticing?

Lowering her head, she noted that Roxy's face was still buried deep in her stomach, quietly sobbing as they racked her small frame, and Jewel felt a small twinge of guilt before shoving it aside. _It's not my fault,_ she reminded herself, _the Kraang are just assholes._ She mentally scheduled a thorough beating on them later on. Should she shoot or burn them to a crisp? Hey, maybe she could squeeze them slowly until they popped. Smoothly, she snuck back to the back entrance before scanning the area for any curious eyes. Once she was sure they were alone she sped her and Roxy to the nearest hospital. She came to a halt at the roof before carefully climbing into a back window as she slid herself in one of their halls, making her way to the reception area.

* * *

"You never had anything but your hatred!" Splinter snarled at Shredder, his voice rising with the anguish, hurt, and rage that he had been holding down for the past sixteen years. The torment of the memories burning behind his irises as he could still smell the burning wood, smoke watering his dark eyes, and the blood on his hands as he held the love of his life, and he could still his precious daughter's screams, sobbing for her parents...

And now he had the chance to release. To just unburden himself as stared down and locked gazes with the man he'd once considered a brother.

"And if you defeat me...you will have _nothing!"_

He leapt and gracefully landed on his feet as Shredder aimed, however, instead of attacking, the man had the courage to laugh with very little sanity and incredibly sinister that it echoed through his ears. He felt his blood run cold as Shredder's ruthless voice uttered, " _That_ is where you are wrong." he declared as he pointed a blade at him. "You took something from me, so I took something from you."

Before Splinter could ask what on earth was he talking about, he felt his heart plummet. "Your **_daughter."_**

His eyes widened. It felt like the wind was knocked right out of him, his eyes wide, as another memory burned through his soul mercilessly.

 _Sweat drenched his skin as his eyes burned from the smoke, tears leaked from his eyes as he buried his face in his wife's shoulder. He turned his head, and he could hear the scream of a baby. Crying for her mother. For her father. The man he once thought a brother had his back to him, walking away as if nothing ever happened, aside from the wound on his head. He screamed in anguish and outrage. And he felt like the flames engulfed him, surrounded him as he feared for a cruel, cruel death..._

 _And he could still hear the baby's cry..._

Miwa...she...she was alive? She was here? After so many wishes, pleadings, so many painful nights before he adopted the turtles, his daughter was alive all along? And Shredder. He...He had her? He felt fury boil his insides, the familiar depression he'd suffered after that night...

"No..." he whispered in horror, "It can't be..."

Shredder lunged as Splinter's pupils dilated, curling his fingers into fists as he blocked one of his enemy's attack. Everything became red and vivid as he kicked with a force stronger than a mountain, pummeling his agony and resentment with his fists as he senselessly beat his former friend, evading his blows swiftly as he swiped a powerful kick to his midsection, sending him flying to his throne, knocking the mask that hid his hideous features. Whipping out his sword, he dashed forward before he hurdled over in the air, raising his sword above his head with a defiant war cry as he prepared for the last blow...ending the pain...

 ** _"NO!"_**

His ears twitched at the yell when he twisted around, now engaging with an unknown individual as their own swords clanged loudly in the air against his. Their brutal and swift fight lasted for seconds as locked swords, the individual's arms now straining against his sturdy hold, and he stopped cold when he saw two eyes narrow into crossed slits, snarling as they hissed angrily. It was a girl; her golden brown eyes, her dark makeup, the beautiful face that reminded him of her mother.

His breath hitched as his eyes began to burn, "Miwa...?" he trailed off uncertainly.

He watched as his daughter growled at him like a feral animal as she used his momentary distraction to her advantage. She slashed her sword through his shoulder and he grunted in pain, knocking down to his knees as he watched her run to Shredder's aid, his heart stopped when she called out worriedly, "Father!"

That wasn't her father. _He_ was her father. He remembered too fondly of the fight of tuning her to sleep. Tang Shen was better at it than he was. He could hardly hear anything else as he stared longingly at his blossom, the last remnants of his past, his sweet, beautiful daughter. He whispered her name, "Miwa?" with hope in his heart. She suddenly whirled to meet her gaze with his, and it felt like his heart was being cruelly twisted as she glared her piercing gaze with so much hate and disgust that it burned through him, and it felt like it was happening all over again.

"My name's _Karai!"_ she corrected bitterly, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "Father told me what you did to my mother! And now I'm going to return the favor!" she cried before letting out a vengeful war cry, sprinting to him with her sword raised over her head. He shook his head. No. No, no, no. He couldn't do this. He wouldn't do this! He would never fight his daughter. He could never hurt her. He refused. "No!" he turned a heel and ran and leapt back to the hidden entrance as she missed him by an inch. He turned his head back, his eyes sullen, adrenaline fading from his system as tears stung his eyelids, but he refused to let them fall.

 _"Why won't you fight?! **COWARD!"**_ she accused in pure rage, loathing thick in her tone as she glowered up at him. God, he couldn't look at her anymore. It hurt too much. The fact that his daughter loathed and despised him was too much to bear for him. He sulked away, fading back into the sewers, praying his sons made it home, safe and sound.

* * *

Jewel handed Roxy her third pudding cup, the twelve year old gratefully accepting the snack as she scooped the smooth and chocolatey goodness, closing her eyes and humming as if she were in heaven. "This is the life..." she sighed, her head falling back against the soft, warm pillow. Jewel rolled her eyes as she plopped a seat next to the girl, swapping out a sports magazine as she turned the pages. "I will never understand children," she muttered under her breath, though the kid could still hear her as she pouted. "I'm twelve, not six. I'm practically a teenager." she protested, crossing her arms as it did not help her case. At all.

Jewel looked up from her article, a smirk pulling at her lips, "Uh-huh." she agreed sarcastically, "Hate to break it to you, but twelve isn't exactly a teenager. You're still a kid, honey," she teased as she gave the girl a shark like grin. Roxy continued to pout at her in annoyance, huffing as she went back to slurping on her pudding.

It had only been an hour or so when Jewel rushed Roxy to the medics. They had been hysteric, already handling more than a handful of patients thanks to this damn invasion. Jewel sat in the waiting room, reading some kind of sports magazine that they had kept along with a few other articles about any topic. She read some critiques and a few monologues of athletes and the strain of their own injuries, they talked about the pain of not playing and the harsh battle of the extent of their own wounds. Jewel wondered for a moment if her or the turtles would ever have to go through anything like that. She's never been so injured seriously before.

After about thirty minutes, Dr. Raymond informed her that Roxy had underwent through severe shock, and they had to sedate her as she wouldn't stop screaming. They stitched the wound after a quick blood transfusion. She was wired with an IV to keep her fluids in, and she would wake up with a long, nasty scar, but she'd be okay. The worst that could happen was the therapy. Jewel had called her parents, who were stuck in an office building across town, and they thanked her as she hung up.

"I'm sorry if I ruined your day," Roxy quietly said, looking regretful as she swirled her spoon in the cup. Jewel shrugged one shoulder, assuring the girl a lopsided grin, "I don't think this day could get any worse." she reassured, squeezing her knee in a comforting manner. Roxy smiled at her, and Jewel redirected the conversation into something lighter. She asked how school was going and Roxy began to ramble on in excitement. Jewel would nod occasionally as she peeked back at her magazine again, listening as the kid prattled on and on about nothing but school, her friends, and she looked up when Roxy asked a funny question.

"Uh, can I have some advice on...boys?" she asked shyly, staring down at her lap as a blush tinted the apples of her cheeks. Jewel smirked in amusement as she chuckled, "Sure. What about boys?" she asked as she crossed her legs, setting the paper book in her lap as she leaned forward in interest. She thought it was nearly adorable and amusing that twelve year olds would worry about their hair and boys when Jewel worried about an upcoming mission at that age or a gymnastics meet.

Roxy refused to meet her bashful gaze, finding her pudding more interesting. "It's n-nothing, really," she stammered, "There's this really n-nice guy at my school. His name's Trevor and he's my partner in science. He's funny and a little annoying. I think - I think I might like him but I think he might like another girl and there's this school dance coming up next month and I really hope he asks me but I think he might ask another girl and I don't know how to, umm, well, I don't know." she sighed as she took a breath of frustration, her doe brown eyes meeting Jewel's, "What should I do?"

The teen blinked as she grinned, propping a hand to her chin, "If it were me, I'd go for it. Just take a small step and ask him, don't wait for some tradition. If you see something you like, don't let anything stop you. Go for what you know. That's the best advice I can give ya. For boys _and_ life." she said evenly as she watched Roxy slowly nod, before asking, almost fearfully, "But what if he says no?"

Jewel shrugged, "Honestly? Who cares. He's just some dumb boy with no clue. Boys are so fickle at that age. So many hormones and urgings." she answered honestly. Sure, she could've just said that it was the boy's lost and he wasn't worth it. But that was more of a parent's advice. And Jewel definitely wasn't a parent. She was not mother material, plus she had a slight distaste for small children. They were so delicate and needy. Roxy seemed to want to know cold, hard facts and Jewel was great at that. She was being gentle as she could be, using a nicer version instead. Boys were assholes, they were incredibly picky. Most wanted the pretty girls with the somewhat accepting bodies and appealing figures. Jewel used to be one of those girls back in junior high, swooning boys left and right, back and forth. Hardly a chore..

But Roxy seemed like she had a chance. She had the pretty, dewy eyes some guys liked, a thin figure, and dark brown hair that was straight and attractive. She could get a guy if she wanted, she had that innocent look boys would want to indulge in. "What about you?" she piped up curiously, a smile gracing her lips, "Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked with a small laugh. Jewel paused at the question, her grin faltering slightly before she quickly covered it back up with a sly smirk. "Oh, trust me, girl, I could have any guy I want when I want." she joked, earning a laugh. "Do you like anyone?" she pressed, tilting her head as she more interested, sitting up slightly. Jewel forced the thoughts away from Leo and beat around the bush, "Eh," she shrugged, "there's this one guy who's kinda cool, I guess. But we're just friends. We're not dating or anything."

"Why not? Don't you like him?"

Jewel sighed heavily, "It's a little more complicated than that. Trust me. It's better if we're not dating."

"Why?" Roxy asked, frowning.

The mercenary licked her lips, "We just wouldn't really work as a couple."

Jewel truly believed that; she didn't divulge into too much information, just enough to satisfy Roxy's curiosity and relieve some of the pressure off her chest. Her and Leonardo were like salt and vinegar, they clashed. She was a manipulator and a liar, she murdered people - all kinds of people, and Leo was untainted, innocent like the rest of his brothers. He didn't know what it was like to have his childhood ripped away from him like she did. She didn't want to burden him and worry him any more than she did. It was better if they were just two people who knew each other.

"You know, a wise woman once told me, _'if you like something you see, don't let anything stop you.'_ " Roxy softly said as she grinned at her, reminding Jewel of her own advice. Jewel jerked her eyes to her, furrowing her brows, shaking her head as she sighed for umpteenth time this day, "Roxy -"

"You're the one who always said you should never get in your own way, that you have the control, that you're the one with the power to do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. And from what I always saw, you're very hard to impress." Roxy declared with a confident smile, and Jewel's eyes widened. That was a speech she had given when she had first won her gold medal. She could still remember everything so clearly, the memory stuck to her like glue. Roxy must've been serious when she said she was her biggest fan. "So I'm gonna ask you what you asked everybody else: _'What's stopping you?'_ "

Jewel blinked repeatedly, her own words echoing in her head. She wanted to tell Roxy that she was too young to understand, that Jewel's been through so much since then. She wanted to say that she wasn't that girl anymore. That girl was happier back then. That was the girl who didn't know what would hit her. That Jewel was some stranger standing in her own shoes. She wanted to protest and say that she and Leo were a terrible match.

 _"So?" Gwen asked, "What does that have to do with anything? As long as you're happy, that's what counts, right?"_

 _Donnie ran after her as he placed a hand over his shoulder, "Does it really have to make sense? I think you guys would be cool together."_

 _Nicole shrugged as she smiled encouragingly, "Jewel, if the boy gives you the butterflies, then you like him."_

 _A ten year old Jewel smirked wide and confidently at the camera as she spoke into the mic, "Well, it wasn't very easy, I'll tell you that," she laughed, "but, no, if you really like something and you want it more than anything, then I say go for it. You never know."_

Blinking back to reality, Jewel stared back at Roxy dazedly, who was now tilting her head and staring at her, confusion in her brown irises. Rising to her feet, Jewel quickly excused herself, "Uh, I gotta go. Just text me whenever you feel like it or whatever." and she rushed out of the room before Roxy could say anything else. She ran out the doors and sprinted at breakneck speed, ducking into an alleyway and her sprinting form turning into a blurry, speedy figure. She zoomed past the streets of New York and checked the coordinates of her T-Phone, quickly hacking into Leo's T-Phone. Skidding to an abrupt halt, her chest heaved as she read his coordinates. She raised an eyebrow. The ocean? "What the hell could you all be doing in the ocean?" she thought aloud as she rolled her eyes with a shake of her head, zooming away.

* * *

Leo felt his heart pounding in his ears, blood pulsing, adrenaline pumping furiously in his veins. He's never been so angry and determined in his whole. The moment he saw his little brother scream and fall as Kraang Prime loomed over him like the monster in the nightmare, waiting to rip him into shreds. He saw red for a moment, he narrowed his eyes as he screamed viciously, threatening the oversized wad of gum to get away from his brother, aiding Mikey in escaping with the others. He wrapped the chains around Prime, pulling him back as he smiled tiredly as he watched his brothers and April fade away from view. That monster was only an inch away from them.

He did what his instincts told him to: _Run._

He ran and ran, bouncing off the walls as blasters were fired at him from multiple droids. He blocked metallic tentacles of Prime, sheathing his swords as he swooped into one of the emergency exits. He hit the ocean hard that he could've broken a bone. Everything was dark for a moment until he began to swim up shore, searching for his brothers. He heard the Technodrome groan loudly, signaling it was close to drowning in the deep, deep depths. Suddenly a tentacle coiled around his ankle, and he whipped his head around as he attempted to kick his leg free, panic seizing around his chest. Kraang Prime refused to give, strengthening his hold as Leo withheld a grunt, and he felt pain flare up his head when the ship knocked down on him, and the tentacle released its powerful grip.

He flailed away from the sinking Technodrome. He couldn't see anything. _He couldn't see anything!_ Everything was dark - _too_ dark. He kicked his legs, he swung his arms wildly. It had been just like when he fell off TCRI, helpless with a sure death. And panic was growing and tightening its iron like grip to his chest like a vice. Where was up, where was _up?_ He felt his lungs tighten and weaken at the same time, and he was met with a horrible realization.

 _I'm going to die,_ he realized in terror. Raph wasn't here to catch him when he fell off the building, nor Donnie, Mikey, Splinter, April - hell, even _Jewel._ He swam helplessly in the murky depths as he felt his vision darkening, his breaths loosening, slipping away from him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought nothing but the heavy water. He thrashed in any direction he could think of. He was drowning, slowly dying. He tried to open his eyes, and out of the corner of his eye he saw pink flames in the distance. That must've been the Technodrome. Tears burned behind his eyes. He didn't want to die. He wasn't ready to leave this earth. He wasn't ready to leave his family. He couldn't bear the thought of them mourning over his pitiful death. The thought of Raph, Donnie, and Mikey beating themselves up over it, the thought of April losing a close friend, and Splinter - oh _god,_ _Splinter._ He couldn't even think of dying with Splinter grieving over yet another child of his, blaming himself for it.

And he thought of the one, last person on his list.

 _Jewel._

How would she react over his passing? Would she be okay? Would she even know? Would she even care? He never imagined their last and final conversation would be a hostile fight - his last words to her, and her last words to him. He felt angry and denounced by her - self-conscious even. He saw a quick image of her flash through his mind for a second. The crinkling of her eyes, the beautiful smile that made her glow from a thousand galaxies, the way she would laugh at him whenever he tripped up. Her laugh was truly a gift, something so angelic and devilish, and something contagious that he couldn't help but smile and shake his head. The sly smirk she always had on around him, her calculating midnight blue orbs lingering on him for what feels like a year. The way her eyes would brighten up brilliantly whenever she gave him a genuine smile. Was that all just an act? It seemed to be too real - even for her.

And now his last moments with her would be a stupid fight, her cruel words, and her snarling and sneering face, like she wanted to cut him up and rip him in half, like he was the Shredder himself.

His eyelids growing increasingly heavy, he almost didn't notice a pair of hands curled around his armpits, swimming him up to the top. He gasped as he opened his eyes, greedily sucking in huge breaths of air. It didn't seem like enough oxygen and his vision blurred before clearing. He saw the calm waves rustle and he panted lightly, he saw the sky fade into a pomegranate color, and he heard someone speak up.

"God, I hate the ocean."

He turned his head that he almost could've earned whiplash, and his eyes widened. _"J-Jewel?!"_ he squawked.

She looked soaked and panting a little, shrugging as she smirked charmingly, "Oh. Hey." she greeted, as if she just noticed he was here.

He blinked. And then he furrowed his nonexistent brows, shaking his head slightly, "What - What are you _doing_ here?" he asked, almost accusingly. She raised a brow at him, smirking all smug now, "Saving your ass," she snarked.

"Why?" he couldn't help but ask, "I thought you didn't give a damn for a freak like me?"

He was too exhausted for the bitterness, and it came out more glum then he wanted it. And her smirk fell as she frowned apologetically, "I'm - I'm really sorry about that," she said, "I swear I didn't wanna hurt Kirby or April. I didn't tell any of you 'cuz you guys wouldn't understand."

"Understand what exactly? Why'd you do it if you didn't have to or if you didn't want to?"

She didn't answer him, she motioned her head to an abandoned droid and swam towards it, him following suit. Both swam up to the escape pod with his brothers and April and he laughed when he heard Raph promise to treat him respectfully if he had the chance. A warm feeling spread in his chest when he heard those words, and the look on their faces were priceless that he almost wished he had his phone out. Tears gathered in their eyes as they helped him into the pod, Donnie hesitantly reaching an arm out to Jewel as Mikey gathered them for a group hug, hollering, _"We saved the world!"_

Raph and April scowled at Jewel that it could've brought the Foot Clan to their knees and Mikey softly asked why she had done it, and Leo motioned her to explain a she sighed and looked at them with regret in her eyes.

"I only did it because Shredder promised me files about my mom. I didn't tell you since you couldn't've understood. I just..." she sighed heavily as she ran a hand over her face, "I don't know. For my whole life, I just wanted to know her." she shook her head she stared at nothing but the distance, her eyes sad, "It's all I've ever wanted,"

Despite herself, April frowned in sympathy. She understood just as well. Her own mother passed when she was just a little girl, and she hardly remembered her. She would always ask her father whatever happened to her, but he would shy away from the question, averting to another topic. And it frustrated her sometimes. She was curious and she wanted to know. She deserved to know. Doesn't she?

She sighed, and smiled slightly, "Well, now is your chance to find out. And I completely understand. More than you know, probably." she said as rested a hand on Jewel's knee, "But a little warning would've sufficed."

Jewel smirked at her, "Woman, please," she scoffed, "Y'all know I'm just gonna forget,"

Everyone - sans Raph - chuckled, and Mikey suddenly asked with a grin slowly making its way to his face, "So, does this mean you're coming back?"

Everyone else stared at her curiously, a bead of hope blooming from their hearts, and Jewel looked at all of them. She smirked when her eyes landed on Raphael, his arms crossed grumpily and his scowl darker than her hair. She shrugged, feigning a look of innocence and boredom, "I guess," she sighed dramatically before grinning wider than the Cheshire Cat.

* * *

The turtles, April, Gwen, and Jewel now sat in the Russian hills. The air was chilly and crisp, which meant they were in the autumn season and close to winter. It was dark out, and they had only celebrated their victory mere hours prior. And during the middle of the night, as they slept around in the living room lair, the television still on, Mikey begged and pleaded Master Splinter if Jewel could super speed them to Russia. After the dose of the puppy dog eyes, and the consistent pleas, Splinter relented, and Jewel grumbled under her breath as six people toppled over her as she bolted at an extraordinary speed to the great country of Russia. April had brought her boom box in case anybody had wanted another round of Dance Party. They played the music in the background as they lounged around. Mikey explored around the hill, climbing over the trees like a monkey. April and Donnie explored with wonder in their eyes, and Gwen and Raph sparred from a distance, trading techniques.

Jewel and Leo decided to sit under a large tree, gazing up at the tiny, twinkling stars, as the moon peeked over the clouds just a tad. Jewel had changed earlier from her sopping wet Foot garb - and burned it - and had changed into something more comfortable. She wore a strapless, army green crop top, a pair of vintage fatigue camo pants, a pair of Jordan sneaker, and a bandana over her head, her pretty black hair trailing down her back. Leo had one knee pulled to his chest, the other lazily sticking out as he crossed his arms, goosebumps trailing in his arms in the slight chill of the weather. Jewel had her knees up to her own chest, wrapping her arms her legs as the both of them stared up at the stars, sitting in comfortable silence.

The boom box continued to play some upbeat music Leonardo was unfamiliar with. He was used to heavy metal or classical music from Donnie and Raph, plus the Space Heroes soundtrack. This music was more modern and less violent or prestigious than what he's heard for his fifteen years of living. Though when Jewel came into their lives, he would occasionally hear her hum a tune under her breath or some of the actual music in her room while she worked on some katas. His curiosity getting the better of him, he'd listen intently to the music and bop his head a bit. It wasn't all bad, it was actually really good. And she wasn't horrible of a singer or dancer. Sometimes he would catch her performing a precise and fluid move that he didn't recognize as a kata. He automatically assumed that she was also a dancer.

A new tune popped up from the box, and Jewel inwardly perked up, almost frowning.

 _Putting my defenses up_

 _'Cause I don't wanna fall in love_

 _If I ever did that, I think I'd have a heart attack!_

She listened as she heard the actual song start up, and she bit the inside of her cheek.

 _Never put my love out on the line_

 _Never said 'yes' to the right guy_

 _Never had trouble getting what I want_

 _But when it comes to you, I'm never good enough_

 _When I don't care, I can play 'em like a Ken doll_

 _Won't wash my hair_

 _Then make 'em bounce like a basketball_

Outwardly, she looked calm and please, peering up at the twinkling lights from the black sky, but inwardly, she felt a little nervous. A little, she was incredibly clear on that. She wondered if April picked all the songs she attached to the boom box from her playlist. She hasn't listened to this song in a while. And now she understood why. Gwen once played the song as a teasing gesture, and Jewel _may_ have burned her history essay into crisp. The song, in a way, reminded Jewel of herself. The song talked about a girl falling in a love with a boy despite her best efforts not to. Jewel could relate; she's had so many flings with random guys to the point where didn't even remember their names. But Leo was different. A good different. He was nice, funny, a complete dork.

"The stars are beautiful," he suddenly said and she blinked. She glanced at him for a second before turning back to the stars, shrugging, "Yeah. You could just stare at them all night," she commented dryly. Leo tilted his head as he looked up at the twinkling black sky, "This is actually one of the few times I'm actually looking at the stars," he admitted quietly, "New York's kinda...busy and whatnot, and Space Heroes can only do so much. You know, I actually have these old glow in the dark star stickers on the ceiling of my room. Sometimes I would just stare at them and pretend I'm in space." he said, admitting one of his childhood dreams with the girl he really, really liked. Normally he would be embarrassed but she hardly made a peep, and she was actually smiling at him.

Giving in to his curiosity, he turned his head to full face her, and he was quite taken aback. She didn't look any different; but there was something new he couldn't quite depict it. Her makeup was the same as it was from the night he had taken her to the forest miles away. The light from above them lit up her features beautifully, making her smile look more like the angel his brothers didn't believe her to be. Jewel tilted her head slightly, "Yeah," she said quietly as she turned her head back to the stars. "You know, this is actually where I had my first modeling shoot since my dad died." she admitted, her features softened. "I was a little...distant with everybody, and I didn't wanna talk about it to anyone. After the shoot, I sorta escaped out the back and snuck up on some rooftop. I didn't really do anything. I stared at the sky for a while until it started snowing. And it, I don't know, intrigued me, I guess. It just made me feel a little better. So any time I was here during winter, I'd just sneak out and stare out at the sky until it a snowflake dropped."

Leo nodded as he smiled softly at her, "So it's like your own tradition?" he asked.

"Yeah,"

The song ended, and Leo waited a few seconds for the next song to play, and Jewel threw her head back as she groaned in irritation. He raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

She stared at him. "This song."

Jewel remembered listening to this song once. Some girl she met months ago - Dana or something - played it for her. It was okay, incredibly romantic. But just because she liked the song, it didn't mean she wanted to hear it at this precise moment with Leo sitting next to her. A romance song plus her and Leo staring at the stars - she can already see the terrible reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. She concentrated on the sound as it transitioned from a static sound, then to something more upbeat, and then the singers vocalizing before the lyrics were finally sang.

 _When we are combined_

 _All chemicals could light a fire_

 _I'm lost in your eyes_

 _You scramble my mind_

 _You gotta pull me out alive_

Leo bopped his head slightly; it wasn't that bad. It had a nice beat, and as he listened to the background of the music, he couldn't help but blush as the song grew and grew into obvious romance. This was starting to sound painfully familiar.

 _I'm under your spell_

 _Oh, this I can tell_

 _'Cause my heart starts beating_

 _My heart starts beating_

 _My heart starts beating for you_

His heartbeat started pounding loudly in his ears, and the back of his neck warmed to an embarrassing heat. He swallowed thickly. Jewel started speaking up again, "I think I know this song," she said, turning to face him with a slight smirk.

 _Thunder and lightning_

 _Strike me on the head again_

 _With hope in my heart_

 _The strength of my hand_

 _We'll make it through, I know we can_

"Really?" he asked, plastering a pleasant smile on his face. She nodded in response, "Uh-huh. Some girl named Dana I think played it once. I think it might be electro indie. It's actually really good."

As the song progressed further, making his head a little dizzy for his taste, he pursed his lips. He shrugged as he hummed thoughtfully, "It's okay, sounds really romantic, though." he said. Jewel hummed in agreement.

 _I'm under your spell_

 _Oh, this I can tell_

 _'Cause my heart starts beating_

 _My heart starts beating_

 _My heart starts beating for you_

They chatted about nothing in particular. Both teens traded funny stories about their childhood. Leo told her about the time his brothers tried to prank him but ended spilling the bucket of water on Splinter instead, resulting in the _Randori_ of their life. Leo told her how hard he laughed and how he couldn't stop smiling in smug satisfaction as they scowled at him darkly. Jewel told him about the time she and Gwen filled up a bunch of water balloons and dropped them at the rooftops in Japan on unsuspecting civilians. They laughed and chuckled as some tears escaped their eyes, and Jewel wiped them away as she laughed breathlessly, almost doubling over.

"Wait, wait, wait." she breathed, cackling, "You actually glued a bunch of plastic bugs in Raph's room while he was sleep?" she asked, snickering as she held a hand over her stomach. Leo nodded vigorously, "You should've seen the look on his face!" he snickered, "He ran into Sensei's room and wouldn't climb out from his futon for a week!"

Jewel threw her head back and doubled over in laughter as she slapped a hand over her mouth, "Oh, I wish I could've been there to record it and save it as my screensaver."

Leo grinned cheekily, "I wish Donnie made the T-Phones back then."

They laughed some more and continued to talk about anything that came to mind. The conversation was light-hearted and both were genuinely enjoying each other's company as the nighttime air grew colder, but the two teens hardly seemed to notice. Jewel told Leo the time Clara sprained her ankle during practice, or how Jewel used to attend some ballet classes when she was young, which explained the moves she put on during their dance party. Leo told her the time he was grounded for accidentally sneaking out of the lair, which actually surprised Jewel a little.

She smirked at him as she quirked up a brow, "You were quite the trouble maker back then, weren't you?" she asked slyly. Leo shrugged as his face became bashful, "I wasn't that much of a trouble maker. That was Raph's department." he defended, and Jewel continued to smirk, nodding slowly, "Sure," she agreed sarcastically. "Y'know, Lion Boy, you're really fun to talk to." she told him sincerely, smirking at him still. Leo grinned, "Yeah, well you're fun to spar with." Jewel chuckled, her beautiful eyes crinkling in amusement, the stars lighting up her eyes brilliantly, and his eyes travelled down her lips.

Without thinking, he suddenly leaned in, his eyes heavy, and he quickly moved in for a kiss. Alarm bells rang in his head but he couldn't seem to listen. Everything seemed to dull down to a hum, and he just couldn't help it. Jewel flinched away, and he opened his eyes to find hers. Her own blue eyes, darker than his, stared wide eyed at him, her lips slightly parted, and she looked at him oddly in confusion, her brows knitted together, and an eyebrow was suddenly raised and she continued to stare perplexedly. Hurriedly, he snapped his head away from, closing his eyes shut in embarrassment, looking down at the grass in shame and humiliation. His whole face burned a bright red, and he forcefully cleared his throat, and he swallowed. He worried on his bottom lip, mortified beyond the heavens. The light-hearted mood was gone, replaced by awkward and tense silence.

He couldn't see the look on Jewel's face. He couldn't imagine how she was about to react. An image flashed through his mind. She was staring at him, laughing at his face as she shook her head, walking away while chuckling into the night hysterically. He couldn't stop imagining it. He couldn't stop hearing the inevitable no. He had been wanting to tell her for months, but he didn't know how. He couldn't bear her reaction. He knew she didn't feel the same way. Jewel could have any guy she desired - why would she want him of all people?

The stupid song was still playing in the background when he heard her say, "Hey,"

Reluctantly, he turned his head, and his breath caught when she dipped forward and grabbed his face and pressed her lips against his.

As if sensing the climax, the song vocalized its romantic harmony.

 _I'm falling in love again_

 _Aaahhh..._

 _Let's find a way_

 _I'm falling in love again_

 _Aaahhh..._

 _Let's find a way_

Sparks exploded inside his head, and he started to feel dizzy. He closed his eyes and melted into the kiss of her sweet, soft lips, his heart racing and beating.

And the first snowflake fell.

* * *

 **I cannot begin to describe how utterly _RELIEVED_ I am to finally _FINISH_ this story! I hope you guys loved it. Sorry if Part 1 wasn't as good, I didn't really focus on it too much. And I'm sorry for all the grammar mistakes and the early chapters. I actually planned something better but at the time my old laptop wasn't functioning properly so I might revise them and rewrite them a little from the ones I originally wrote. I'll tell you guys what chapters were rewritten and whatnot. Don't worry, I'm writing a sequel. And I think it's gonna blow this story out of the water. I'll publish the first chapter somewhere this break. Hopefully before New Years. Luckily for you all, I'm not gonna be very busy. Oh, and seriously, leave a review. I am dying to read your thoughts or any suggestions for the second season!**

 _ **Until Next Time!**_


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